The Minnesota Twins kicked off their annual winter TwinsFest Friday without one important ingredient: that pesky contract extension for All-Star catcher Joe Mauer. However, the club is optimistic that last season’s AL MVP will ink a new deal before the start of Spring Training.

The contract is going to be a whopper for sure, and manager Ron Gardenhire is looking forward to it.

“I’ll be happy when he does sign. He can buy me a beer. Probably two. Maybe three,” he chuckled.

Mauer is making $12.5 million this season in the last year of his current contract. He’ll be eligible for free agency in the fall if no new deal is struck, which is the last thing anyone in Minnesota wants to see happen. The 26-year-old hometown hero says he “feels like a broken record” when talking about his extension, and doesn’t want the hype to become a “distraction” to the team.

As Mauer answered to the media at his new Target Field home, teammate Justin Morneau strolled by and shouted, “14-year extension, 20 a year!”

Though it won’t be that lengthy of a deal, it’s definitely going to be that pricey.

In other Twins news, backup catcher Jose Morales will miss the start of Spring Training after undergoing surgery on his injured wrist on Thursday. He should be ready to back up Mauer in time for Opening Day, since he’s second on the depth chart these days after long-time Minnesota backstop Mike Redmond signed with the AL Central rival Cleveland Indians.

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