At this point Minnesotans analyze every Joe Mauer sneeze to determine whether it makes him more or less likely to re-sign with the Twins, so the reaction to this news will be interesting:
What does that mean, exactly? Well, here’s a quote from IMG senior vice president Alan Zucker:
In other words, IMG has been hired to get him a bunch of endorsements deals. Mauer is an amazing player with huge popularity in the upper Midwest. He’s also a favorite among female fans and known for, as Zucker mentioned, “his trademark sideburns.” However, in terms of endorsement opportunities his lack of an apparent personality may prove to be an issue. Mauer is a man of few words, and what he does say is typically delivered in a sort of aw-shucks monotone. For an example, check out the less-than-captivating video from his MVP press conference last week. Plus, according to Sports Business Journal a recent survey found that less than one-fourth of the country can identify Mauer by face or name. By comparison, Derek Jeter and Brett Favre were recognized over 80 percent of the time. Still, if hiring IMG nets him a few more commercials perhaps Mauer won’t be so eager to pursue the largest possible long-term contract. Or so Twins fans can hope. The other good news for Twins fans is that Mauer has not switched “on-field agents.” He’ll stick with Ron Shapiro to handle any contract negotiations. Shapiro previously represented Twins star Kirby Puckett and has a history of big-name clients who stay with their original teams, which Minnesotans have latched on to for optimism. Shapiro has represented Mauer since the St. Paul native was the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft and apparently recommended that he find “someone who could manage his marketing needs on a full-time basis.”
