When Matt Stairs signed a free-agent minor-league contract with the Montreal Expos after playing for the Canadian Olympic team in 1988, he didn’t have lofty expectations.

“I never thought I’d get any higher than ‘A’ ball,” said Stairs. “But thanks to hard work and being stubborn, things have worked out well.”

Two months from now, the Fredericton, New Brunswick native and Bangor resident will begin his 13th major league season. He will be his seventh team, the Kansas City Royals.

“I’ve surprised myself and a lot of people doing as well as I have,” said the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Stairs.

The Royals signed him to a one-year contract extension worth $1.2 million after he hit .267 for them last year with 18 homers and 66 runs batted in. His 439 at-bats were his most since he had 476 with the Oakland A’s in 2000.

He also had 21 doubles, three triples, scored 48 runs and had a .345 on-base percentage along with a .451 slugging percentage.

He was second or tied for second on the Royals in homers, RBIs, triples, slugging percentage and total bases (198).

“I’m happy. It’s always nice to go into the off-season knowing you have a job so you don’t have to worry about it,” said the 36-year-old Stairs.

He said he was pleased with the numbers he put up and looks for the Royals to have a turnaround season in 2005 after a 58-104 campaign in 2004.

But Stairs won’t set any goals for himself.

“I never have and I never will. I just want to stay healthy and do what it takes to help the team win,” said Stairs.

He enjoyed his first season in Kansas City.

“It’s a beautiful ballpark and I got along well with the fans,” said the affable Stairs, who had been with Pittsburgh in 2003 where he hit .292 with 20 homers and 57 RBIs in just 305 at-bats.

Despite his impressive numbers, Stairs and the Pirates couldn’t reach a contract agreement.

“I thought I was going to finish my career there after the year I had with those guys. But the contract talk was ridiculous. I wasn’t looking to break the bank but don’t slap me in the face. Don’t embarrass me with an offer [like the one they gave him],” said Stairs.

Kansas City signed him and paid him $1 million last season.

He grew up a Red Sox fan and played for Boston in 1995, hitting .261 with a homer and 17 RBIs in 88 at-bats.

Stairs said stepping foot in Fenway Park for the first time in a Red Sox uniform “was like a dream come true.”

And he said he enjoyed seeing them finally win a World Series after an 86-year drought.

“I was happy for the New England area. All the people are die-hard Red Sox fans. They deserved a championship run,” said Stairs, who credited their team chemistry with being one of their subtle keys.

“Their team chemistry was very good. That was big. A lot of people don’t understand that. They had an ‘I don’t give a crap [what people think of us]’ attitude,” said Stairs.

Stairs also had the pleasure of playing in another tradition-rich ballpark, Wrigley Field, in 2001 for the Cubs.

“It’s amazing playing [at Wrigley and Fenway]. You get goose bumps knowing there are going to be 35, 36, 37,000 people every day and they’re going to be whooping and hollering and looking for ways to pump you up,” said Stairs.

He said there is a small difference between Cubs and Red Sox fans.

“They’re almost the same. But Red Sox fans care more about winning and losing,” said Stairs, who explained Red Sox fans are more passionate and get depressed if the Sox lose.

He said Cubs fans have a good time regardless of the game’s outcome although they obviously prefer winning.

In addition to the Cubs, Red Sox, Pirates, Royals and A’s, he has also played for the Expos and Milwaukee Brewers.

He has played in 1,172 games and is a career .266 hitter with 194 homers and 634 RBIs.

He had back-to-back 100-plus RBI seasons with Oakland in 1998 (.294, 26 homers, 106 RBIs) and 1999 (.258-38-102).

If Stairs played a 162-game season, his statistics average out to 27 homers and 88 RBIs in 484 at-bats along with a .266 average. His on-base-percentage would be .359 and his slugging percentage would be at .494. He would hit 27 doubles and score 74 runs.

“He is a tremendous lefthanded presence in the middle of a lineup,” said Toronto Blue Jays third base coach Brian Butterfield. “He’s selective and he has tremendous power. You have to be real careful with him.

“Every team I’ve been with has been interested in obtaining him,” added Butterfield. “He has a very quick bat and he’s very strong. He has short, compact arms and he can generate a lot of bat speed.”

Butterfield also said Stairs has been a clutch hitter throughout his career.

“He has always been a big-situation type of hitter. He’s the type of hitter you want up there in the eighth or ninth inning [with the game on the line],” said Butterfield.

Like many Canadian youngsters, Stairs grew up dreaming about playing in the National Hockey League some day.

He had 100 points in 26 games during his senior year in high school.

But those aspirations changed, he said, “the day I tore a knee ligament playing hockey. I knew my hockey career was pretty much over.”

He was 16.

But he has made the most of his opportunity in baseball and has created a nice life for himself, wife Lisa and their three daughters: Nicole, Alicia and Chandler.

“I worked my way up the ladder and the biggest reason was I was very stubborn when it came to my work habits. I’ve worked very hard,” said Stairs. “Growing up, I never had to work hard. It came naturally. But once you find yourself playing with guys who are a lot better than you, you have to work a lot harder.”

He respects the game and plays it the way he feels it was meant to be played: all-out, all the time.

And he isn’t afraid to preach that attitude to young players.

“I have a problem with guys who don’t run balls out. There’s no excuse for it,” said Stairs. “When you hit the ball, you’ve got to run it out. I’ve done it that way my whole career.

“You have to run the bases four times a game, so bust your [butt] those four times,” Stairs said. “And I’ll speak my mind. I’m big on veterans taking young guys under their wing [and teaching them how to play the game properly].”

He knows his role and accepts it.

“I’m a bench player and an occasional starter. I’ll be the fourth outfielder in Kansas City,” said Stairs. “But you never know when somebody is going to get hurt or somebody is going to struggle. So when you get in, you want to take advantage of it. It was nice to get over 400 at-bats last year.”

He has been pleased that his numbers have been steady when it comes to homers and RBIs per at-bat.

“I’ve proven over the years that I’ve been consistent and I’m very happy about that,” said Stairs.

He and Lisa enjoy living in Bangor and they are building a new house in the area.

When he was a youngster, he and his family used to take trips to Bangor and Portland.

“We used to come down all the time,” said Stairs.

Bangor reminds him a lot of Fredericton.

“They’re both fun cities. The people are nice and they’re good cities to raise a family in,” said Stairs. “This is our fourth year here and the girls have made a lot of good friends. The schools and the sports are really good here.”

One of the ways Stairs stays in shape is by playing in an over-30 soccer league at the Maine Sports Complex in Hampden.

“That’s a great facility out there,” said Stairs, who will intensify his workouts next month in preparation for spring training.

He still has tremendous passion for the game and intends to play “as long as I still love the game and my family supports me. I don’t have a timetable. f the kids wanted me to retire tomorrow, I would. I’m just going to play it year by year.”