Matt Stairs knows his body well, and that awareness is about to become more important than ever.

The Canadian-born outfielder/designated hitter signed a new two-year contract Friday that will keep him with the Toronto Blue Jays through the summer of 2009, when he'll be 41.

The Blue Jays are hoping Matt Stairs can repeat his outstanding 2007 campaign for another two years.
(Ed Zurga/Associated Press)

That deal is worth $3.25 million US, and it comes after Stairs hit .289 with 21 homers and 64 RBIs in 125 games this past summer. That was in 357 at-bats — many more than the team expected of him when it offered a one-year deal for 2007.

Stairs knows he's an aging athlete, but he's not going to be worrying about the what-ifs as birthday No. 40 looms on Feb. 27.

"I think as an athlete, you never look that way, that I can't get hurt in that situation. That's when you get hurt," Stairs said in a Friday afternoon conference call. "My whole career I haven't missed a whole lot of time. I've been healthy almost every season, minus a couple of hamstrings.

"But now I'm so old I can't pull [a hamstring] if I'm not running so fast."

Being older does have its advantages, he says.

On a routine ground ball, for instance, an older player knows "when to run real hard, and that getting down the line safely is better than stupidly, if that makes any sense."

Makes sense to the Jays, who are putting their money up as proof.

''I think we're comfortable with the player, we like the player and we think he has a lot of productivity going forward," said J.P. Ricciardi, Toronto's general manager, who acknowledged the club has a different role in mind for Stairs for each of the next two seasons.

Next year will be much the same as this last one, if Stairs continues to hit with the same success as 2007, Ricciardi said. He'll spell off Reed Johnson in left field and play a lot in the DH role.

Club sees reduced playing time

By 2009, however, the club envisions Stairs in a reduced spot as a role player, pinch hitting and filling in wherever needed.

"I think if we were expecting Matt to play every day in the outfield at 40, that would be asking a lot," Ricciardi said.

Stairs said he isn't thinking of that right now.

"Playing time is not a big issue," he said. "They know what I can do, and I know what I can do, so I'll get healthy for spring training and see.

"It's a long time to the spring, so we'll see what's going on [then]."

With files from the Canadian Press