Joe Mauer Close to a Deal? Maybe?

So much for a bidding war for Joe Mauer next winter. Well, not officially. But it certainly doesn't look like Mauer will become a free agent next winter. Not if the Twins have their way:

Everybody I spoke with during TwinsFest believes the team soon will have Joe Mauer signed to a contract extension. Two people (on the fringes), who have their own information pipelines, claimed that the deal's basic framework -- the number of years and guaranteed money -- is already set, with the sides negotiating things such as deferred payments, etc.

Our best sources on this subject, however, insisted there wouldn't be news of an extension all weekend, and they were right. (Clarification: It's important to emphasize here that we have not confirmed that the framework is done. Fringe sources might think so, but those closest to the talks haven't confirmed. The spirit of this blog post was "gut feelings and hot tips," but some media outlets are running with this as hard information.)

Mauer said Friday he doesn't want his contract to become a distraction for the team. But there is hardly widespread panic that the Twins are going to lose him to free agency.

I'm confident an extension is coming. It's a matter of when, not if.

Any predictions about what Mauer's extension might look like? I'm sticking to my 6 years/$120 million dollar prediction.