Minnesota Twins: Perhaps Joe Mauer Should Give Back the Money

So far for the Minnesota Twins, 2012 has been a nightmare.

After finishing in last place in the AL Central in 2011 with a 63-99 record, the Twins are on a pace to do even worse. If they continue at their current .258 winning percentage, they will lose 120 games, establishing a franchise low and eclipsing the 113 losses of the Washington Senators in 1904, a mark that has lasted for 107 years.

There's plenty of blame to go around.

The Twins starting pitchers have only won five games—the fewest in all of baseball—and their combined ERA of 6.63 is the highest among all 30 teams.

The offense isn't any better as the Twins have scored the fewest runs in the American League, averaging only 3.3 runs per game. Their .238 team batting average is only above that of the Mariners and A's in the AL. 

For a team that was once built on solid pitching and timely hitting, something has gone terribly wrong.

Perhaps it started when the Twins decided to join the high rollers of baseball. During spring training in 2010, the Twins and Joe Mauer agreed to an eight-year, $184 million contract extension. Starting in 2011, Mauer would become one of the highest paid players in baseball, earning $23 million per season through 2018. 

At the time it seemed like the right thing to do. Mauer had just come off the best season of his career. In 2009, he won his third batting title with a .365 average—the highest average in his eight seasons. He also had a career-best 28 home runs and 96 RBI and was awarded the 2009 American League MVP.

Since signing the contract extension, Mauer's numbers have fallen every year.

If he were to finish the season at his current .270 average, it would be the lowest in his career, 17 points below his previous low of .287 in 2011 and 95 points lower than his last season before signing the extension. 

Not only is his batting average suffering, but he currently leads the majors having grounded into seven double plays. He is also struggling in the power department with only a .360 slugging percentage. He has only one home run on the season and is third on the team in RBI behind newcomers Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit who lead the team with seven and four home runs, respectively.

About the only thing Mauer is doing well this season is appearing in more games. Removing his rookie season of 2004 when he only played in 35 games before injuring his knee, he has only averaged 126 games per season in his career.

Spending more time at first base this season has allowed him to play in 30 of the Twins' 31 games.

Currently with the third-highest salary in all of baseball, Mauer needs to follow the lead of former Twin Lyman Bostock.

In 1978, Bostock signed a lucrative free-agent contract that increased his salary from $20,000 in 1978 with Minnesota, to $450,000 with the California Angels. In April of the 1978 season after only hitting .150, he wanted to return his salary for the month. After the Angels refused his request, he looked to donate his April salary to charity.

Actually, Mauer should take it one step further and offer to renegotiate his contract, accepting a more reasonable salary based on his performance. 

Part of the problem may be that Mauer is not a prototypical No. 3 hitter.

Between 2005, his second year with the Twins, and 2011, Mauer has averaged .323 with 11 home runs and 69 RBI per season.

Compare that to Kirby Puckett, who mostly batted third in the Twins' lineup from 1987 to 1996. Puckett also batted .323, but averaged 19 home runs and 98 RBI per season. 

The third spot in the order is usually reserved not only for the best hitter in the lineup, but also for someone that can provide a little power and drive in some runs, something that Mauer has failed to do since 2009. 

If the Twins are going to pay Mauer like a superstar, he needs to either step up and play like one, or give back the money.