Mauer Turned Down $21 Million Per Year?

The Minnesota Twins are not commenting on their negotiations with catcher Joe Mauer, but Jim Souhan of Star Tribune reports the catcher has turned down offers of $20 million to $21 million per year.

According to multiple Internet reports of eight-year extension talks, Mauer possibly turned down a potential eight-year $168 million offer from the Twins.  Although $168 million would be a significant sum Mauer would be rejecting, prior to the offseason, most of the media expected Mauer to receive at least a $200 million deal.

The Twins certainly spent money this offseason, spending a big chunk of money on free-agency as well as re-signing core players such as pitcher Nick Blackburn and center fielder Denard Span.  The Twins have a projected payroll that can easily reach from $90 million to $100 million by the end of the season.

Clearly Mauer is not willing to give a “hometown” discount, but how much is too much for the Twins?

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