TORONTO — Checking in briefly from my pad here back in TO. Just browsed the Star’s baseball blog, where Cathal Kelly has an item about Jays manager John Gibbons telling the scribes on hand what Toronto’s Opening Day lineup will look like.

March 31 vs. Yanks RHP Chien-Ming Wang:

1. David Eckstein, SS
2. Matt Stairs, LF
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Frank Thomas, DH
6. Lyle Overbay, 1B
7. Aaron Hill, 2B
8. Marco Scutaro, 3B
9. Gregg Zaun, C

Obviously, the only change could be with Matt Stairs, who has been nursing a sore hip. If he’s unable to start, Shannon Stewart will slot into the No. 2 spot. Against lefties, Hill and Overbay will apparently switch spots in the order.

Kelly, as well as the Globe’s Rob MacLeod, also point to an item in the Wall Stareet Journal that has Gibby ranked as the sixth-best manager in baseball. Gibby should print that out and use it for negotiation purposes when/if it comes time to talk extension.

OK, going to watch the No Country for Old Men DVD I just bought and getting geared up for Michigan State’s Sweet 16 game againt Memphis tonight.

Later all…

CLEARWATER, Fla. — One final blog entry for 2008 Spring Training. After this, it’s off to bed for a quick bit of sleep before I get up in a few hours to catch a flight back to Toronto. Come Saturday night, I’ll be in the Big Apple gearing up for Opening Day.

Spring didn’t go exactly as the Jays would’ve hoped. Losing Casey Janssen (torn labrum) was a big blow to the pitching staff, having Scott Rolen (broken finger) possibly sidelined until May hurt the lineup and B.J. Ryan (coming back from Tommy John) wasn’t able to meet his goal of breaking camp with the club.

The offense didn’t look fantastic, but Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay and Aaron Hill jump out as guys who did look great at the plate this spring. In Grapefruit League play, Toronto finished 11-16, but it’s worth noting that in 1992 and 1993 (the Jays’ two World Series title seasons) the team posted 13-18 and 11-19 spring marks, respectively.

"You can throw our record out the window," Jays manager John Gibbons said on Thursday. "I think you can do that. We saw a lot of good things. We’re banged up more than we would’ve hoped, that’s for sure, but overall I saw a lot of good individual things, though our record doesn’t indicate that."

So Toronto heads north with a slightly bruised roster, but as of right now, the injuries — aside from Janssen’s — don’t appear to be major blows. It’s possible that Ryan is back by mid April, which would be a boost to the bullpen, and in a perfect world, Rolen could be back in April, too (seems unlikely, though).

The only real question mark I see right now, besides the obvious wait-and-see with the offense, is a lack of depth behind the starting rotation. Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett, Dustin McGowan, Shaun Marcum and Jesse Litsch are a formidable five, but the depth chart is rather thin behind that group. Toronto is one pitching injury away from uncertainty and the Jays are pinning a lot of hopes on repeat showings from the M&M boys and Litsch, as well as full seasons from Doc and A.J.

This should be an interesting year for the Jays. They look like a club that could either seriously contend for a playoff spot or just float to another near .500 finish. One thing is for sure, if the Jays get off to a slow start, there could be some decision-makers who find themselves on the hot seat pretty quick. But let’s not put the cart ahead of the horse — as pitching coach Brad Arnsberg loves to say. Let’s just get this thing rolling. Enough of this spring stuff…

Catch up with you from Yankee Stadium in a few days. So long, Florida.

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Quick update on Scott Rolen, who just held court with us scribes in the classroom down in the Jays’ clubhouse a few minutes ago. Rolen said that he was told by his doctors that he would likely miss 4-6 weeks from the date the operation took place.

So, my writing the other day that he could potentially miss the season’s first month seems about right. Rolen is scheduled to have the pin removed from his finger on April 7 and it’s unclear how much time he’ll miss after that. He said the doctors believe throwing will be the main issue after having the pin removed, considering his right middle finger is integral to making strong throws.

Rolen did not, however, lose his fingernail. Apparently, Rolen thought he was going to lose the nail at first because it looked like it was bent at a 45 degree angle. It turned out that it was actually the broken tip of his finger that was bent at a 45 degree angle. Ouch.

The freak accident happened on a line drive hit to Rolen during fielding drills. Rolen thought the low liner was going to be played like a short hop and the ball didn’t drop, drilling his finger at an unfortunate angle. When asked if bench coach Brian Butterfield was the culprit behind the line drive, Rolen smiled and joked:

"No, it wasn’t Butter. It was @!&#&@$ Butter."

I’ll have more on this on bluejays.com in a while.

DUNEDIN, Fla. — I’m leaving on a jet plane tomorrow morning, heading back to Toronto for a day before scooting over to New York for the season opener. Until that moment arrives, I’m here in Florida gathering up some Spring Training bits for one final day.

This morning, manager John Gibbons let us know that Matt Stairs (hasn’t had an at-bat since March 20th) is nursing a sore hips. He was over at a Minors game today to get some at-bats. Having him play there is a precautionary way for the Jays to guard against possibly having to DL Stairs.

If Stairs opens on the DL, the Jays could backdate his stint to his last game appearance. Gibbons was quick to point out that there had been exactly zero discussion about putting Stairs on the DL. And judging by his recent BP showings, I think it’s doubtful he’s going to the DL, too.

Gibby also noted that he’s going to use the left-field platoon guys (Stairs/Stewart) in the second spot of the batting order. B.J. Ryan threw a bullpen session today and Scott Rolen was back in camp. We’re still waiting to talk to Rolen, who will likely give us the finger at some point during the interview.

More spring recap later. For now…

Today’s lineups:

HOUSTON (12-16-1) at TORONTO (10-16)
at 1:05 p.m. ET at Knology Park

ASTROS
Michael Bourn, CF
Hunter Pence, RF
Darin Erstad, 1B
Ty Wigginton, 3B
Jose Cruz Jr., LF
Mark Loretta, DH
David Newhan, 2B
Tomas Perez, SS
Humberto Quintero, C

PITCHING: Brandon Backe

BLUE JAYS
David Eckstein, SS
Shannon Stewart, LF
Alex Rios, RF
Vernon Wells, CF
Frank Thomas, DH
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Aaron Hill, 2B
Marco Scutaro, 3B
Rod Barajas, C

PITCHING: Dustin McGowan

Farewell, Knology Park. It’s been real.

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Nice night for a game here at Knology Park, where manager John Gibbons informed us this evening that the Jays had set their roster. No official transactions yet, but reliever Randy Wells and outfielder Buck Coats have won the two vacant spots.

So, barring injury, here is the Opening Day roster:

STARTERS
Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett, Dustin McGowan, Shaun Marcum, Jesse Litsh

RELIEVERS
Jeremy Accardo, Scott Downs, Brandon League, Jason Frasor, Brian Wolfe, Brian Tallet, Randy Wells

INFIELDERS
Lyle Overbay, Aaron Hill, David Eckstein, Marco Scutato, John McDonald

OUTFIELDERS
Alex Rios, Vernon Wells, Matt Stairs, Shannon Stewart, Buck Coats

CATCHERS
Gregg Zaun, Rod Barajas

DESIGNATED HITTER
Frank Thomas

Scott Rolen and B.J. Ryan figure to open the year on the DL and the lot of reliever who were in the mix for jobs are ticketed for Triple-A. The decision for the final bullpen spot came down to either Wells or Jesse Carlson, according to GM J.P. Ricciardi.

Ricciardi also added that there’s no update on the contract talks with Rios. The Jays have also not yet obtained the proper working visa for Armando Benitez, so he’ll be headed to the Minors to begin the year. Ricciardi aid Benitez has an opt out in his contract that he can exercise on May 1 if he chooses to do so.

Today’s lineups:

CINCINNATI (14-14) at TORONTO (9-16)
at 7:05 p.m. ET at Knology Park

REDS
Ryan Freel, CF
Jeff Keppinger, SS
Scott Hatteberg, 1B
Joey Votto, DH
Jolbert Cabrera, LF
Andy Phillips, 3B
Jerry Hairston Jr., RF
Andy Green, 2B
David Ross, C

PITCHING: RHP Aaron Harang

BLUE JAYS
David Eckstein, SS
Shannon Stewart, LF
Alex Rios, RF
Vernon Wells, CF
Frank Thomas, DH
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Aaron Hill, 2B
Marco Scutaro, 3B
Gregg Zaun, C

PITCHING: RHP Jesse Litsch

*Thanks goes to burgess for pointing out that I didn’t include the DH in today’s lineup for the Jays. And judging by watching Stairs launch homer after homer in BP this evening, he’s doing just fine. Not sure why he hasn’t been in the lineup. Could just be resting "some nagging stuff" like Zaun was this past week

More later…

DUNEDIN, Fla. — While us scribes circled Alex Rios to discuss the extension he’s apparently near signing, catcher Rod Barajas stood in the background, sporting a wide smile and flipping through a wad of hundred dollar bills.

Rios indicated that the online report that has the figures at six-years, roughly $65 million, with an option for 2015 that could push it to around $80 million, was accurate. He also told me he expected the deal be be finalized in the next few days.

Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi didn’t make it sound like he was any closer to signing Rios than he was yesterday. He said the deal was not done, Rios concurred, and Ricciardi reiterated that there’s a "deadline" for getting the contract done before the first regular season game. I’ll have more on bluejays.com on this in a bit.

Other notes: The Blue Jays granted catcher Sal Fasano his unconditional release. … Catcher Gregg Zaun is nursing a sore right hamstring. … United States Immigration apparently lost Armando Benitez’s paperwork and the Blue Jays have to resubmit the application to obtain a proper working visa for the pitcher. … Word is that Reed Johnson is close to signing with the Cubs.

QUOTABLE: I was standing by Frank Thomas this morning, watching the Red Sox-A’s game in the clubhouse. There were some players down the hallway, watching the game inside the weight room. We could hear those guys react to a play before we saw it happen on our TV. I said to Hurt, "Those guys must have more of a live feed than we do." He quipped: "What, they’re closer to Japan?" Nice.

Today’s lineups:

TAMPA BAY (16-5-2) at TORONTO (9-15)
at 1:05 p.m. ET at Knology Park

RAYS
Elliot Johnson, SS
Carl Crawford, LF
Carlos Pena, 1B
B.J. Upton, CF
Cliff Floyd, DH
Eric Hinske, 3B
Jonny Gomes, RF
Dioner Navarro, C
Andy Cannizaro, 2B

PITCHING: Jason Hammel

BLUE JAYS
Shannon Stewart, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Alex Rios, RF
Frank Thomas, DH
Rod Barajas, C
Hector Luna, 3B
Buck Coats, CF
John McDonald, SS
John Tolisano, 2B

PITCHING: Roy Halladay

SARASOTA, Fla. — Blue Jays manager John Gibbons confirmed this evening that closer B.J. Ryan and third baseman Scott Rolen will not break camp with the team. Rolen is out for at least a couple weeks and Ryan won’t be available until at least mid April.

Rolen suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right middle finger during a fielding drill on Sunday and had surgery to insert a pin in the finger. Rolen also lost the finger nail, so he can’t throw a baseball for the time being. After two weeks, Rolen will have the pin removed, but it’ll take more time for him to come back.

Ryan will remain in Florida and build up to the point where he can at least pitch every other day. Gibbons said the Jays would consider bringing him up before he could go on consecutive days. For now, Scott Downs is the primary setup man. Looks like both Rolen and Ryan are headed to the disabled list.

Some other little notes: Shaun Marcum is appearing second today for the Jays. LHP Jesse Carlson, who is in the mix for a bullpen job, is starting so he can face Cincy’s A hitters. … With Rolen out, Gibbons said OF Buck Coats could snag the last roster spot for Toronto. … C Gregg Zaun didn’t make the trip, because there’s no DH for today’s game. Catching prospect Brian Jeroloman is behind the dish.

Today’s lineups:

TORONTO (9-14) at CINCINNATI (12-14-1)
at 7:05 p.m. ET at Ed Smith Stadium

BLUE JAYS
David Eckstein, SS
Buck Coats, LF
Aaron Hill, 2B
Vernon Wells, CF
Marco Scutaro, 3B
Matt Watson, RF
Chip Cannon, 1B
Brian Jeroloman, C
Jesse Carlson, P

REDS
Corey Patterson, CF
Jeff Keppinger, SS
Ken Griffey Jr., RF
Brandon Phillips, 2B
Adam Dunn, LF
Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
Scott Hatteberg, 1B
Chris Kroski, C
Homer Bailey, P

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Only a few items remained in the near-empty locker that sat behind where Reed Johnson stood. The outfielder spent Sunday morning packing up his belongings at Knology Park after learning that he had been released by the Blue Jays.

The news didn’t come as a shock for Johnson, who had prepped himself for a change of scenery every since Toronto brought veteran outfielder Shannon Stewart into camp on a Minor League contract in February. There wasn’t going to be room on the roster for both players, so Johnson understood the odds.

"I prepared myself for it," Johnson said. "In my mind, I’ve been released a couple times already. Once we signed Stew, it was one of those situations where the two of us, I think, we’re prepared for either a release or a trade."

Since Johnson was given his unconditional release, the Blue Jays are only responsible for roughly $500,000 of the $3.275 million he was scheduled to make in 2008. When Stewart is transferred to Toronto’s 25-man roster, his salary will rise to $1.5 million, with the potential to earn another $250,000 in performance bonuses this season.

Check bluejays.com for more in a bit. Heading back down to the clubhouse…

Today’s lineups:

PHILADELPHIA (10-13-1) at TORONTO (9-13)
at 1:05 p.m. ET at Knology Park

PHILLIES
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Shane Victorino, CF
Chase Utley, 2B
Ryan Howard, DH
Chris Snelling, LF
Geoff Jenkins, RF
Pedro Feliz, 3B
Eric Bruntlett, 1B
Carlos Ruiz, C

PITCHING: LHP Cole Hamels

BLUE JAYS
David Eckstein, SS
Shannon Stewart, LF
Alex Rios, RF
Vernon Wells, CF
Frank Thomas, DH
Aaron Hill, 2B
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Marco Scutaro, 3B
Rod Barajas, C

PITCHING: RHP A.J. Burnett

Happy Easter everyone.

UPDATE: From talking with GM J.P. Ricciardi this morning, it was clear that the Jays tried and would’ve preferred to trade Reed Johnson rather than just release him. The problem was, teams still had concerns about Johnson’s health. … Ricciardi also came as close as he was willing to come to saying Randy Wells was on the roster. Ricciardi said the Jays didn’t want to risk losing guys (meaning via Rule 5 rules, option issues, waivers), so based on that, it looks like the bullpen on Opening Day will include: Jeremy Accardo, Scott Downs, Brandon League, Brian Tallet, Jason Frasor, Brian Wolfe and Randy Wells.

TAMPA — Blue Jays manager John Gibbons doesn’t worry about his players’ contracts or what is or is not included in them. As far as Gibbons is concerned, he’s responsible for the daily lineup card and general manager J.P. Ricciardi can handle the paperwork.

"That’s his department. I don’t get involved in that contract stuff. I don’t want to know about any of that stuff," Gibbons said.

When it comes to veteran slugger Frank Thomas’ situation, though, Gibbons may have to start taking contract issues into consideration this year. When asked if he wanted to know how many plate appearances Thomas needed to kick in a guaranteed $10 million salary for 2009, Gibbons laughed and replied, "No."

Well, the Big Hurt needs just 376 plate appearances this year to secure that double-digit salary for ’09. His contract included a vesting option for the $10 mil that kicks in if Thomas reaches 1,000 PAs between 2007-08. He had 624 PAs last year — his first with the Jays.

If Thomas has another slow start to the season, the Blue Jays may want to consider how close they want him to come to guaranteeing a third year in Toronto. Now, we’re kind of getting ahead of ourselves here by even bringing the topic up, but it is something to at least keep in the back of our minds.

Gibbons isn’t too worried about it right now.

"First of all, we expect him to hit," Gibbons said on Saturday. "That’s the thing. I can’t comment on it other than that. He’s here to be our DH."

Gibbons wasn’t shy about saying that Thomas hasn’t had a good spring, though.

"No, he hasn’t," Gibbons said. "His timing is off and he’s a little off-balance at the plate, but from everything I’ve understood, from talking to other people, too, he never really has. Spring Training has never been his thing."

This spring, he’s managed a .088 average, .118 slugging and .088 on-base for the Jays. Last season, Thomas hit .217 in the season’s first 55 games, but he turned it on over the final 100, batting .308 over that span and winding up with a .277 mark with 26 homers and 95 RBIs when it was all said and done.

"We expect him to be in there every day producing. That’s all I can bank on," Gibbons said.

This isn’t really much of a story at this point, considering it’s still Spring Training and we have yet to see what kind of start Thomas has in the season. Now, if Thomas’ offense is struggling come May, that’s when this plate appearances/$10 million 2009 salary thing will be more of an issue.

Hey, an injury could even stop Thomas from reaching that 376 figure — who knows? Maybe we should just take it from Hurt himself. He’s had slow starts throughout his career, so this spring slump is really nothing new. A slow April wouldn’t be anything unfamiliar, either.

Even with all the slow starts, he’s still a .300 career hitter.

"Things will take off," Thomas said recently. "Me? I’m not going to worry about anything, because I’m more of a timing guy. Once my timing is set, I’m set for the rest of the year. That’s just the way I am. It just takes time to get going, but once it gets going it stays. It’s been like that my whole career."

ON ANOTHER NOTE: Game here in Tampa today was canceled due to rain. Awh, maaaaan, now I HAVE to leave the ballpark and sit around and watch college basketball. Randy Wells had a solid, though brief, outing. Gibbons said the righty will probably pitch again on Monday. The relievers that didn’t get into today’s game — John Parrish, Mike Gosling, Shawn Camp — will have to get their work in a Minors game tomorrow. McGowan’s line today: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Triple-A Lehigh Valley (Phillies).