Adrian Gonzalez has a $154 million contract, second-largest in Red Sox history. He's making $21 million this season, eighth-highest in baseball (Carl Crawford - at $20.3 million - is 11th). 

And for his last 97 games - going back to last year's All-Star Break - Gonzalez has 12 home runs and 55 RBI. To put that in some perspective, Cody Ross - making $3 million this year, a seventh of what Gonzalez is banking - has hit 13 HR and knocked in 47 runs during that same stretch. 

This isn't Crawford, or John Lackey, but it's absolutely fair at this point to characterize Gonzalez's tenure with the Sox as a disappointment. He was terrific in the first half in 2011 and has been just another guy ever since. 

Crawford is hurt. Jacoby Ellsbury is hurt. Kevin Youkilis is hurt. The Sox need Gonzalez to carry them for a couple of months, hit .400 with 10 homers and 26 RBI in May, that kind of tear. Instead, after an 0-for-8 performance in Sunday's 17-inning loss to the Orioles, Gonzalez ranks 67th among all 80 eligible American League hitters in slugging percentage and 61st in OPS. How's that for $21 million?

Right now, frankly, Gonzalez looks lost. The dominant hitter from the first half of last season - and the guy who we all thought was worth $160 million after putting up huge numbers in a lousy hitter's park with lousy teammates in San Diego - has been replaced by a singles hitter. Gonzalez has eight extra-base hits in 110 at-bats this season, or two more than Darnell McDonald (he of the .184 batting average, .388 slugging and 27.00 ERA) has in 49 at-bats. 

And Sunday was as ugly as it gets, the bottom of the bottom for Gonzalez. The first cleanup hitter in nearly 30 years to post an 0-for-8 is ugly enough, but to strike out on three pitches against a designated hitter borders on the incomprehensible. And it wasn't a fluky whiff, either, Chris Davis - making $488,000 this season and putting up significantly better offensive numbers than Gonzalez - had him fooled. Embarrassing. 

The sight of a flailing, confused Gonzalez at the plate has been pretty close to common this season. And, fair or not, the idea that Gonzalez can't produce in the clutch is a very real one in this city. His late-inning (and scoring position) numbers were very good in 2011, but Gonzalez stunk against the Yankees and Rays and that stuff sticks. And again we are dipping into unfair territory, but isn't Gonzalez the link between the epic collapses of the Padres in 2010 and the Red Sox in 2011?

And also there's this: It doesn't look like Gonzalez cares that much. I'm not saying he doesn't care - I'm guess he does, or at least I'm still willing to believe everyone who tells me he does - but he gives off a vibe that suggests failure on the field isn't a big deal. It happens or it doesn't happen, the check is going to clear either way. And that attitude is swell when the team is winning and you are an MVP candidate, but after the worst September in franchise history and a truly hideous start to the 2012 fans want the players to be accountable, want them to be outraged when things go south. And Gonzalez - who did blame himself for a loss to Oakland last week - just isn't going to be that kind of guy. It sure seems he's happy to blend in, make zero waves, and let other guys do the leading. That's OK if you're Ryan Sweeney, but for $154 million I'd think I might be getting a little leadership, no? A sense of entitlement is what still seems to exist with this team, and Gonzalez does nothing to combat that image.

Right now I'm guessing the Sox would happily punt on leadership and sign for some production. There is no reason to think Crawford will produce this season. Ellsbury should be back in a month or so, but who really knows? And Youkilis is Youkilis - a guy in his 30's with three years of injuries and coming off a terrible 2011. There is no question - none - that pitching remains the top problem for this team, but the lineup also has its issues. And Gonzalez is, shockingly, one of them right now.

Cody Ross has contributed more in 2012. So has Sweeney, Dustin Pedroia (who has a $40 million contract - raise your hand if you think Gonzalez is a better player), David Ortiz, Sweeney, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Mike Aviles. Sure, 27 games is a relatively small sample, but the reality is this: Adrian Gonzalez is paid $154 million to be a sure thing. And for the first month of this season - and for the second half of last season - he has been much, much less than advertised. And for this Sox team to even entertain the possibility of being a postseason team - which seems laughable right now, this group is on a collision course with 82-80 - they need Clay Buchholz to not be, you know, the worst pitcher in baseball, need Josh Beckett healthy, and need Jon Lester to be a legitimate ace. But they also need Adrian Gonzalez to be one the best hitters in baseball, not a .280 hitter with power that has matched his level of charisma. That might have been a luxury last season, but it's a necessity in 2012. 

Gonzalez declined to speak to the media after his 0-for-8 on Sunday. That's his right, and I get that the only people who really care about players blowing off the media is the media. But if he continues to be silent on the field the Red Sox are cooked in 2012 and Gonzalez will go from disappointment to failure.