During his playing days, Cairo stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 225 pounds (102 kg) while batting and throwing right-handed.

[2] Cairo made his major league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays on April 17, 1996, as the starting 2nd baseman.

Cairo spent most of the 1997 season with the AAA Iowa Cubs, where he hit .279 in 135 games and was selected to the American Association All-Star team.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected Cairo with the eighth pick in the 1997 MLB expansion draft.

In the 2002 National League Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants he had five hits, including a home run, in 13 at-bats.

Early at the season, Cairo was seldom used, losing his playing time to teammate Willie Bloomquist and Greg Norton.

Norton was soon traded to the Atlanta Braves and, with outfield trouble, the Mariners started a platoon with Bloomquist and Jeremy Reed in center field.

On July 10, the Mariners released Sexson and Cairo assumed the role of full-time first baseman for a few days until Bryan LaHair was finished nursing a sore toe.

For the rest of the season, Cairo shared duties at first base with left-handed hitting LaHair, and started at the other infield positions when the incumbents had an off-day.

On February 15, 2009, Cairo signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Philadelphia Phillies.

His performance during this stint, including several key hits, led to his inclusion in the division-winning team's postseason roster.

[6] Additionally, he hit .308 for the 2000–2001 Cardenales champion team en route to the 2001 Caribbean Series, where he batted .360 and slugged .680 with six RBI.

[7] On February 14, 2013, the Reds announced that Cairo would operate as a special assistant to General Manager Walt Jocketty, effectively ending his playing career.

[11] On August 12, 2021, Cairo managed the White Sox to victory over the Yankees in the first Field of Dreams game, as Tony La Russa was unavailable due to a family funeral.