Matt Stairs

Stairs spent the 2009 season in a pinch-hitting role with the Phillies and primarily came to the plate looking to hit a home run. He managed to hit five home runs and showed a good eye, but he was never able to get things going due to the inconsistent at-bats. Stairs is 42 years old and said he would like to come back for one more season, but it is unclear if there will be a club interested in giving him a guaranteed contract.

Stairs, whom Philadelphia acquired late in the season, hit three home runs in just 21 regular and postseason at-bats with the Phillies. Stairs will be 41 this season, but should remain one of Philadelphia's left-handed power bats off the bench until he shows signs of regression. Not surprisingly, this role will fail to provide him with any sort of consistent fantasy value.

Stairs used injuries to Lyle Overbay and Reed Johnson, and struggles from Adam Lind, to his advantage and ended up with a nice season (.289/.368/.549, 21 HR). He's a poor bet for a repeat performance in that it's unlikely he'll receive the same amount of playing time in 2008, but a two-year contract keeps him in a good hitting environnent so he'll retain some value in AL-only leagues at a minimum.

Stairs spent time with the Royals, Rangers and Tigers last season. He signed with the Blue Jays this offseason and will act as the team's fourth outfielder and possible platoon-mate with Reed Johnson. He does have a little power so he could provide some fantasy value if he were to garner significant playing time.

Kansas City loves his veteran leadership and potent bat, which is the main reason the Royals re-signed the 38-year-old during a youth movement. Stairs battled numerous aches and pains, which sapped him of his home run power at times, but he provided a steady bat in the lineup during times when Mike Sweeney was out. His role shouldn't change much in 2006, playing occasionally at first and outfield but getting the bulk of his play at designated hitter.

Stairs can only be considered a luxury for the Royals. He’ll turn 37 during spring and, defensively, is just above full-time designated hitter talent. With Mike Sweeney, Ken Harvey and Calvin Pickering clogging the DH and first base slots, Stairs’ action will come in the corner outfield spots. If he hits well and/or if Aaron Guiel, Abraham Nunez and Terrence Long all show they can adequately play in the majors, Stairs is nice trade bait. How he hits will determine just how well the Royals spent the $1 million to sign him.

Stairs is a platoon player with some pop who will help the Royals replace Raul Ibanez on the cheap. The problem is he's a streak hitter who garners sporadic playing time. Stairs looks like he is ready for the beer leagues, but he still managed to hit .292 last season with 20 home runs and 57 RBIs in 305 at-bats despite getting off to a slow start.

Stairs could represent an improvement as a platoon outfielder for the Pirates, but getting even semi-regular playing time still might be an issue with the acquistion of Randall Simon and the resulting spillover effect.