Video to Interview with KARE11 here

MINNEAPOLIS — American League MVP Joe Mauer denied a report Tuesday he has reached an agreement with the Minnesota Twins for a 10-year contract extension.

“I don’t know where that came from,” Mauer said in an interview Tuesday afternoon with KARE 11′s Randy Shaver.  “I was pretty shocked to hear that.”

Yesterday, one local media outlet reported Mauer had agreed to a preliminary 10-year contract extension.

In regards to a new contract, Mauer says things will happen when they need to happen.

The catcher is entering the final year of his 4-year, $33 million contract and he would be eligible for free agency next fall.  Mauer’s agent, Ron Shapiro, and the Twins have been engaging in contract talks.  Although both sides have been reluctant to talk publicly about negotiations, there is a growing sense of optimism from those around the organization that a deal will get done soon.

Twins’s manager Ron Gardenhire said last week he was confident that both sides would come together and strike a deal.

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