Heyman: Red Sox Won't Claim Twins' Joe Mauer

Whether you were hoping Boston could pull off a trade for Joe Mauer by claiming him on waivers, or wanted absolutely nothing to do with such a transaction, you can forget about it. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Red Sox won't claim backstop Joe Mauer on waivers, meaning Boston won't be able to get him.

This is not unexpected, as the idea that the Red Sox might go after Mauer was mostly due to Ken Rosenthal, who correctly stated that this was Boston's first real test of fiscal responsibility. It's not that it's totally unbelievable that the Red Sox would hold on to the flexibility they received in their recent deal with the Dodgers, but there's a bit of an understandable wait-and-see cynicism that might be around some fans. That, or there are also fans who can't wait for Boston to throw truckloads full of money at impending free agents like Josh Hamilton, despite their own set of risks. Not going after Mauer, who, in the right deal, with the right amount of money covered, would actually make a lot of sense for Boston, shows a little of what the Red Sox might intend to do with their money.

Or, maybe it doesn't show a thing, except that the Sox have no interest in Mauer at this price. It's tough to tell with August waivers, especially with so many players available to claim throughout the month.

Really, the most disappointing thing is that we only have an excuse to publish images of Mauer's beautiful swing a few times per season. Enjoy the latest one while it lasts on our front page.