Morneau (and others) Reach Deals With Twins

A lot has happened since I last posted.

We had some real baseball news, which I've been craving for the last few weeks. The Twins reached a 1-year, $4.5 million deal with the AL MVP, Justin Morneau. Nick Punto was signed for 2-years, $4.2 million; Juan Rincon for 1 year, $2 million; and Lew Ford for 1 year, $985,000. Also, the word is that the Twins and Joe Mauer are nearing an agreement in the ballpark of 4-years, $33 million, which I think is a steal. That deal would lock up Mauer past his first year of free agency.

I can't argue with any of those. I'm guessing Morneau will be signed to a long-term deal sometime before the season is over, a contract structured very similar to Mauer's. Ideally, I'd give Morneau one year more than Mauer, for two reasons: A) I wouldn't want to have to worry about re-signing both of those guys to massive contracts in the same off-season. B) Morneau seems to want to stay with Mauer. If Mauer re-signs in 2011, Morneau may be more likely to re-sign in 2012.

I like the Punto deal as well. I would have liked to have given him a little less money, but two years is the perfect length for a player like Punto. If he proves that 2006 wasn't a fluke, the Twins have plenty of time to sign him to another extension. If he reverts to his prior form or gets hurt, they only have a two-year commitment.

The Rincon and Ford deals are likely the last they'll receive from the Twins. I'll be very surprised if either of them is in a Twins uniform in 2008.


In other news...

• Brett Favre announced his decision to return for next season. I remember being told that we'd only have to wait two weeks for that news. A month later, he reveals his intentions - and gets the media attention he craves. As far as the effect this will have on the playing field, I'm not sure what to think anymore. I can't stand the guy, but he doesn't strike fear in anyone anymore. Favre will not go out on top - a playoff berth is possible (though unlikely) and I wouldn't expect anything more than that.
• The Indianapolis Colts are the champions of Super Bowl XLI. My pick (which I forgot to post here) was Colts 23, Bears 13. The Colts won, 29-17, so I wasn't too far off. Peyton Manning was named the game's MVP. While Manning was solid, I would've gone with Dominic Rhodes.