Mauer signing good for baseball

I've read and listened to a lot of things about Joe Mauer's megadeal with the Twins. Here's my take.

Good for baseball
This may seem strange coming from the keyboard of a Red Sox fan, but this signing is great for baseball. I know some Minnesota fans who basically thought it was a given that Mauer would eventually be playing in Fenway or donning pinstripes. It's good to see a smaller revenue team use it's new funds (thank you, tax payers of Minnesota) to hold onto a homegrown talent. This deal will likely help the Twins remain competitive for the next several years, and will give hope to smaller revenue teams. I would also point to the deals of Evan Longoria and others as further evidence of this.

Bad for the Twins
Most Twinkie fans will probably see this as sacrilege, but this deal is too long. Eight years? Locking up a catcher until his mid-30s? Seems a little crazy to me. Now I realize Mauer is a singular talent, and it's difficult for anyone to project what kind of player Mauer will be six years from now. But catcher is one of the toughest positions in professional sports, and it takes a toll on the body. Yes, I realize he could slip over to 1B or DH during these eight years, but if his bat slips, if he gets hurt, this deal will be an albatross for the Twins, even if they felt like they 'had' to do it at the time.