THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — His first multi-year deal in nearly a decade, a prominent role with the 2008 Toronto Blue Jays and the chance to finish out his career in Canada was pretty much all Matt Stairs could have asked for in his latest contract.
One request the Fredericton native didn’t make was that the US$3.25 million, two-year agreement he signed Friday be paid in Canadian dollars rather than the American greenback.
"I suppose I should have with the Canadian money being higher now," the 39-year-old quipped on a conference call from his home in Bangor, Maine.
"Nah, I’m just glad it’s over with, glad the talks are done and now we can get underway with winning some games up in Toronto again."
The Blue Jays feel the same way after aggressively working to get Stairs back in tow to share left field duties with Reed Johnson, play a little first base when needed and offer a big stick off the bench the rest of the time.
There was at least one other team seriously interested in the veteran slugger, but they never stood a chance. His only other multi-year deal was a $5.275 million, two-year contract covering 1999 and 2000 with the Oakland Athletics.
He’s signed seven one-year deals since.
"Other deals had to be just unbelievable for me not to return to Toronto," said Stairs. "And with Toronto offering me a two-year deal, it’s hard to say no."
Stairs’ first season with the Blue Jays was one to remember as he hit .289 with 21 homers and 64 RBIs in 125 games. He came up north on an $850,000, contract to be the team’s fourth outfielder last December, but became an integral part of the club as injuries to several regulars mounted.
He ended up getting 357 at-bats, far more than expected, and showed he had plenty more left in him than simply being a bat off the bench.
That’s why Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi didn’t mind giving Stairs a front-loaded contract. He’ll make $2.25 million in 2008 and $1 million in 2009, when he’s expected to become a role player and Adam Lind is projected to take over left field.
"Matt knows he’s going play, probably the same amount of at-bats he had this year, which would be great for us," said Ricciardi. "We want to have the same kind of guy back and probably not give him more at-bats.
"I think right around 250 to 350, 400, 450 tops, with him and Reed out there I think we’re pretty solid."
Ricciardi said Johnson, who is eligible for arbitration, would likely get most of the at-bats in left field with Stairs filling in against tougher right-handers.
He also provides insurance should something happen to first baseman Lyle Overbay or designated hitter Frank Thomas.
"There’s certain guys, they kind of maintain themselves and he’s one of them," Ricciardi said of Stairs. "If you watched him play last year, there wasn’t any sign of his bat slowing down. We’ve entered the age of guys playing into their late 30s and into their 40s."
With Stairs off his to-do list, Ricciardi’s focus now shifts toward solving the club’s unresolved utility player openings and the need for a back-up catcher.
Free agent Sal Fasano is one possibility to back up Gregg Zaun, while youngsters Robinzon Diaz and Curtis Thigpen get more seasoning in triple-A. Ricciardi also said he would look at the open market but the prospect of signing a free agent to a multi-year deal is unappealing to him.
"We’re going to talk with Fasano and see if there’s other options out there," said Ricciardi. "We’ve some guys we’ve got to keep track off as far as giving them a chance to play up here at some point. For us to get locked in with a backup catcher for two or three years, I just don’t see us doing that."
Ray Olmedo and Joe Inglett are the chief candidates for the utility player roles and while Ricciardi will shop for someone who can provide more pop, he’s comfortable going with them if nothing better presents itself.
Beyond that and taking care of their arbitration-eligible players, the Blue Jays don’t have much on tap this winter.
"That’s pretty much what our goal is in the off-season," said Ricciardi.
