Odds & Ends: Mauer, Blue Jays, Arroyo

Links for Monday... ESPN's Buster Olney compares a potential Joe Mauer extension to Todd Helton's contract, in that it'd make up such a large percentage of the Twins' payroll. Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel discovered that a handful of teams have avoided four-year commitments to pitchers in recent years. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos talked to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports about the team's strategy to beef up scouting. For someone who hasn't been paying attention to the hot stove, Bronson Arroyo has a reasonable take on the Reds' direction and recent Scott Rolen/Ramon Hernandez commitments (MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reporting). ESPN's Jerry Crasnick discusses the role of advanced defensive metrics in player acquisitions. MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone notes that a very similar report surfaced in three different media outlets within a span of a few hours.