The Blue Jays have designated 26-year old righty swinging outfielder Darin Mastroianni for assignment. Mastroianni played in 1 game for the Blue Jays last year and he was 0 for 2 (.000 avg) in his first taste of the majors. He also played in 123 games in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 131 of 488 (.268 avg, .730 OPS) with 92 runs scored, 3 homers, 36 RBIs and 34 stolen bases. Mastroianni has now played in 549 games in his first five years in the minors and he is 571 of 2,046 (.279 avg, .742 OPS) with 388 runs scored, 14 homers, 184 RBIs and 200 stolen bases. The Blue Jays probably hope that Mastroianni clears waivers so they can keep him around.

The Blue Jays have signed 30-year old lefty reliever/starter Bill Murphy to a minor league deal. Murphy pitched in 10 games (all starts) last year in Japan and he was 2-5 with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Murphy last pitched in the majors back in 2009 with the Blue Jays. He has pitched in 18 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 0-0 with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. He will get a shot to win a job in the Jays’ pen this spring.

The Blue Jays have signed 33-year old righty starting pitcher Tim Redding to a minor league deal. Redding pitched in 18 games (17 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 2-10 with a 6.24 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. Redding last pitched in the majors back in 2009 with the Mets. He has pitched in 179 games (144 starts) in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 37-57 with a 4.95 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Redding will likely start the 2012 season in AAA-ball, but he could help out the Jays at some point this year.

The Blue Jays have signed 27-year old lefty swinging catcher Kyle Phillips to a minor league deal. Phillips played in 36 games for the Padres last year and he was 13 for 76 (.171 avg, .548 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 2 homers and 10 RBIs. He has now played in 41 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 18 for 94 (.191 avg, .581 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 2 homers and 12 RBIs. Phillips broke into the majors back in 2009 with the Blue Jays. Phillips will likely start the 2012 season in AAA-ball.

The Blue Jays have signed 36-year old righty reliever Francisco Cordero to a 1-year, $4.5 million dollar deal. Cordero pitched in 68 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 5-3 with 37 saves, a 2.45 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He has now pitched in 753 games (0 starts) in his first 13 years in the majors and he is 44-45 with 327 saves, a 3.17 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Cordero is currently #12 in major league history in saves with 327 of them. Cordero will be Sergio Santos’ set-up man when the 2012 season starts but they could switch roles if needed. This was another good pickup for the Blue Jays.