April 4 -- CAIRO IN, ROSTER SET

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, as we suspected yesterday after Gary Sheffield signed with the Mets, the Phillies' final roster spot belongs to ...

... Miguel Cairo.

The Phillies made it official just a few minutes ago when they announced they have purchased Cairo's contract. Cairo, a 34-year-old infielder, signed a minor-league deal Feb. 15, just as spring training was dawning, and the contract stipulated that he could request his release if he wasn't on the 25-man roster by opening night. That won't be necessary now.

It's been well-documented that the Phillies have been looking for a right-handed bat off the bench. They flirted with Nomar Garciaparra. They had interest in Ty Wigginton. And, for the past few days, they talked to Sheffield's agent, Rufus Williams. In the end, though, the Phillies couldn't offer any of those guys the kind of playing time they wanted. I suppose you could say they've "settled" for Cairo, but Cairo also earned the job. He finished the spring with a .237 average, but that number was much higher for most of camp. He also showed decent power, hitting three homers in 59 at-bats after not homering in a regular-season game since 2005.

Here's a story I wrote about Cairo a few weeks ago, where he says he believes he still has some value to a contending team. So, for now, he's the 25th man. For the full roster, check out our post from yesterday.