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 Toronto Blue Jays have had a hard time matching starting pitching with the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays in recent years. The hope is that a couple of the younger pitchers step up and take over the #4 and #5 spots in the starting rotation this year. Here is a look at the Blue Jays’ rotation as of right now:

#1: Ricky Romero: 27-year old lefty starting pitcher Ricky Romero keeps getting better and the Jays hope that trend continues. He pitched in 32 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 15-11 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Romero made his first All-Star Team in 2011. Romero has now pitched in 93 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Blue Jays and he is 42-29 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

#2: Brandon Morrow: 27-year old righty Brandon Morrow takes no-hitter stuff to the mound on almost every night, but he’s a tad wild and it gets him into trouble a lot of the time. Morrow pitched in 30 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 11-11 with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He has now pitched in 56 games (all starts) in his first two years with the Blue Jays and he is 21-18 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Morrow has pitched in 187 games (71 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 29-30 with 16 saves, a 4.37 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. If Morrow can tame the flame, he could pass Romero by in the pecking order for the Blue Jays.

#3: Brett Cecil: 25-year old lefty Brett Cecil will likely hold down the #3 spot in the starting rotation for the Jays. He pitched in 20 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 4-11 with a 4.73 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Cecil was sent down to the minors for a while, but he returned to pitch pretty well. Cecil has now pitched in 66 games (65 starts) in his first three years with the Jays and he is 26-22 with a 4.64 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.

#4 and #5: Henderson Alvarez: 21-year old righty Henderson Alvarez looked pretty solid in his first taste of the majors in 2011. He pitched in 10 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 1-3 with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He only walked 8 batters in 63 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays last year and that is pretty amazing. He also pitched in 17 games (16 starts) in A+AA-ball last year and he was 8-5 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. If Alvarez’ success wasn’t a mirage last year, he will likely lock up either the #4 or #5 spot in the rotation for the Blue Jays this spring.

Kyle Drabek: 24-year old righty Kyle Drabek was a mess last year for the Blue Jays. He pitched in 18 games (14 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 4-5 with a 6.06 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP. Drabek walked a stunningly awful 55 batters in only 78 2/3 innings last year for the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays sent Drabek to the minors and he was even worse there. Drabek pitched in 15 games (all starts) in AAA-ball last year for the Jays and he was 5-4 with a 7.44 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP. Drabek has now pitched in 21 games (17 starts) in his first two years with the Blue Jays and he is 4-8 with a 5.83 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP.

Jesse Litsch: 26-year old righty Jesse Litsch is going to have a good shot of getting back into the Blue Jays’ starting rotation this spring. He pitched in 28 games (8 starts) for the Jays last year and he was 6-3 with 1 save, a 4.44 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Litsch has now pitched in 88 games (67 starts) in his first five years with the Blue Jays and he is 27-27 with 1 save, a 4.16 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. If Litsch’s arm holds up, I think he will win a job in the rotation this spring.

Dustin McGowan: 29-year old righty Dustin McGowan is a wild card here. He missed the 2009 and 2010 seasons due to shoulder problems. McGowan pitched in 5 games (4 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He has now pitched in 80 games (60 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 20-24 with a 4.80 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. If McGowan is completely healthy, he is going to have good shot of winning a rotation spot this spring.

Nelson Figueroa: 37-year old righty Nelson Figueroa is the biggest longshot of this bunch. He pitched in 8 games (5 starts) for the Astros last year and he was 0-3 with a 8.69 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP. Figueroa has now pitched in 145 games (65 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 20-35 with 1 save, a 4.55 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE STARTING ROTATION IN 2012: C+

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.