CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Cito Gaston is convinced veteran slugger Gary Sheffield won't be without a job for very long, but the Blue Jays' manager said Tuesday that his club does not have interest in adding the designated hitter to its lineup.

Sheffield was released by Detroit on Tuesday, and the veteran can be signed for the league minimum of $400,000 -- while the Tigers are left to pay his $14 million salary. The Blue Jays have a need for offense, but Gaston said the team wouldn't want to sacrifice its current direction in order to add Sheffield's bat.

General manager J.P. Ricciardi reiterated that the club does not have interest.

"No, not at this point," Ricciardi said. "I think we're pretty much set."

If the Jays were to pursue the 40-year-old Sheffield, who sits one home run shy of 500, Gaston said rookie outfielder Travis Snider would likely face a trip back to the Minor Leagues. Snider is considered a cornerstone in Toronto's future plans, and he is projected to be the team's regular left fielder this season.

"Somebody will pick him up," said Gaston, referring to Sheffield. "We don't have a spot. If it had been a year ago, we probably would have been [interested]. But right now, that means one of these kids wouldn't make the team, and you're talking about it'd probably be Snider.

"If we're moving forward, I don't think that's moving forward in the right direction."

This spring, Sheffield hit just .178 in 18 Grapefruit League games with Detroit. Last season, injuries limited Sheffield to 114 games, during which he hit just .225 with 19 homers and 57 RBIs. Sheffield -- a veteran of 21 big league seasons -- also indicated last year that he was unhappy serving as only a DH.

With the Jays, the DH duties are set to fall primarily to young outfielder Adam Lind. Gaston also intends on rotating Snider, center fielder Vernon Wells and right fielder Alex Rios between the outfield and the DH role every so often in order to keep them fresh. Utility men Kevin Millar and Jose Bautista will likely see time in the DH role this season as well.