Minnesota Twins newly reinstated general manager Terry Ryan announced Monday, Nov. 14 that the team would be "looking for catching depth" during the offseason. He also stated, "Joe Mauer's our No. 1 catcher; there's no doubt about that."
While I agree with Ryan that the Twins need to improve at catcher, I wouldn't say there is "no doubt" that Mauer can continue to be the team's top catcher. It's a position that can beat up even the most durable of players, and Mauer has shown plenty of signs of wearing down. Just look at the highlights of his injury history: a torn meniscus in 2004, a stress fracture in the left fibula in 2007, and arthroscopic knee surgery after the 2010 season. And, of course, there's his infamous bilateral leg weakness that kept him out much of last year.
Instead of having Mauer continue to take a pounding at catcher, I'd prefer to see him spend more time at right field or first base, as he did toward the end of last season. Minnesota might need upgrades at these positions anyway, since there is a good chance Michael Cuddyer has spent his last day in a Twins uniform.
However, it will be necessary to have Mauer play catcher occasionally because there just aren't any good alternatives. Last year's backups--primarily Drew Butera and Rene Rivera--could only muster up a combined .158 average.
On the free agent market, there are a few free agent catchers that could help the Twins. Ideally, they could sign former Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, a 30-year-old with a career average of over .300. But with all the money Mauer is getting--and the fact that the Twins don't want to hurt his ego by signing a potential replacement--I don't think this will happen.
Other options are less impressive. There's 40-year-old Ivan Rodriguez, who hit .218 last season, and 39-year-old Jason Varitek, who managed to hit 11 home runs last year. Although neither player would be spectacular, they should have enough life in them to be small improvements over last year's backup catchers.
Even if Mauer can stay healthy next season, it's only a matter of time until injuries force him away from playing catcher. I wish the Twins would bite the bullet already and transition him to another part of the field, and then sign a quality free agent like Doumit. But I fear they are just too stubborn, and we could have another season with Mauer on the DL and no decent replacement.
Floyd Saunders is a native of Minnesota and a lifelong Minnesota Twins fan.
