Saunders announced his retirement Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports.
Saunders hadn't played a game in the big leagues since 2017 and didn't play a game of any kind in 2019 after getting released by the Rockies in March. The 32-year-old will end his career having played in parts of nine seasons in the majors, hitting .232/.305/.397 with 81 homers.
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Michael Saunders: Let go by Colorado
Rotowire
Saunders was released by the Rockies on Sunday, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.
Saunders joined the Rockies on a minor-league deal in December and had a .741 OPS over 28 plate appearances this spring. The 32-year-old has a career .232/.305/.397 slash line but did not see the majors in 2018.
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Rockies' Michael Saunders: Joins Colorado on MiLB contract
Rotowire
Saunders signed a minor-league deal with Colorado on Sunday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.
Saunders hit the open market in June after being cut by the White Sox, so he'll aim for a better outcome with his new team. He appeared in 38 games across stops at Triple-A Norfolk and Charlotte, slashing .158/.272/.248 with two homers and 18 RBI over that span.
Saunders was released by the White Sox on Thursday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Saunders was signed to a minor-league deal exactly one month ago, but failed to impress during his brief stay with Triple-A Charlotte. Across 13 games, he went just 7-for-46 (.152 average) and has only played in one contest since June 6. The 31-year-old outfielder will attempt to find a new home but remains unlikely to make much of an impact at the major-league level in 2018 even if another organization gives him a shot.
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White Sox's Michael Saunders: Joins White Sox organization
Rotowire
Saunders signed with the White Sox on a minor-league deal and will report to Triple-A Charlotte.
Saunders has failed to stick with three teams already this season, having been released by the Pirates and Royals in spring training and the Orioles in mid-May. He's found another organization lacking in outfield talent at the big-league level, but he hit just .161 in 25 games for Triple-A Norfolk after hitting .202 at the major-league level last season, so the odds of him making an impact this season appear to be low.
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Michael Saunders: Cut loose by Orioles
Rotowire
Saunders was released by the Orioles on Tuesday, Rich Dubroff of PressBoxonline.com reports.
Saunders will look for major-league opportunities elsewhere after opting out of his minor-league deal with the Orioles. The 31-year-old was hitting just .161/.291/.253 across 25 games with Triple-A Norfolk. Given his struggles over the past two seasons, Saunders likely won't serve as anything more than organizational outfield depth wherever he winds up.
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Orioles' Michael Saunders: Signs minor-league deal with O's
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Saunders signed a minor-league deal with the Orioles on Monday, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Saunders failed to make both the Pirates and the Royals this spring. He'll hope to impress the Orioles enough at Triple-A Norfolk to earn a major-league call-up. The 31-year-old will need to perform far better than he did last year in order to stick around in the big leagues; he hit just .202/.256/.344 in 73 games with Philadelphia and Toronto.
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Michael Saunders: Released by Kansas City
Rotowire
Saunders was released by the Royals on Saturday.
Saunders failed to make the Opening Day roster and rejected an assignment to Triple-A Omaha. He will look to find a new home after appearing in 73 major-league games split between Toronto and Philadelphia last season in which he slashed .202/.256/.344 with six home runs and 21 RBI.
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Royals' Michael Saunders: Signs with Royals
Rotowire
Saunders agreed to terms with the Royals on a minor-league contract Friday.
Saunders had signed with the Pirates just two days prior, but was released earlier on Friday, possibly as a result of the Pirates' acquisition of Corey Dickerson. The veteran outfielder joins one of the weakest rosters in the league, so he has a path to playing time, though he'll have to perform considerably better than he did last season when he hit .202/.256/.344 in 73 games with Philadelphia and Toronto.
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Pirates' Michael Saunders: Comes to terms with Pirates
Rotowire
Saunders agreed to a minor-league contract with Pittsburgh on Wednesday which includes an invite to spring training.
Last season, Saunders wasn't able to repeat his All-Star form from 2016, slashing just .202/.256/.344 with six home runs and 21 RBI in 73 games. He began the year with Philadelphia, but returned to Toronto after being released by the Phillies in late June. He will be given an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but the Pirates' starting outfield is pretty well set, with Jordan Luplow heading into camp as the fourth outfielder and top prospect Austin Meadows waiting for his chance at the Triple-A level.
Blue Jays' Michael Saunders: Leaves team for birth of child
Rotowire
Saunders has left the Blue Jays to witness the birth of his child, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
It's unclear how much time Saunders will miss while away from the team, but it shouldn't be more than a few games. The 30-year-old outfielder has primarily seen time as a pinch hitter since joining the Blue Jays after rosters expanded, going 3-for-6 with with two walks and two strikeouts. He'll continue to occupy a bench role when he returns.
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Blue Jays' Michael Saunders: Joining big-league club
Rotowire
The Blue Jays will call up Saunders from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports.
The well-traveled outfielder wraps up his Bisons campaign at .275/.322/.408 with two home runs in 152 plate appearances, following a .205/.257/.360 stretch with six bombs in 214 plate appearances for the Phillies. Saunders will serve a depth role for the Jays, making him potentially useful in AL-only formats.
Blue Jays' Michael Saunders: Inks minors deal with Toronto
Rotowire
Saunders signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Wednesday, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.
Toronto struggled to find consistent production from the left field spot between Ezequiel Carrera and Steve Pearce this season, so the organization could end up turning to a former Blue Jay to see if he can offer a boost at the position. Saunders was let go by the Phillies earlier this month after slashing .205/.257/.360 in 214 plate appearances, but he's just one season removed from a 24-homer, 32-double campaign that netted him an All-Star nod with Toronto. He'll first report to Triple-A Buffalo to begin his second tour with the organization, but if he's able to find some success at the plate early on, a promotion to the big club could come quickly.
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Michael Saunders: Released Friday
Rotowire
The Phillies released Saunders on Friday.
Saunders and his $9 million contract unsurprisingly passed through waivers unclaimed, so the Phillies have given him his release. He is now eligible to sign with any team for the minimum.
Saunders was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
After being named an All-Star last season, Saunders struggled through the first half of 2017 before being cast off the Phillies' 40-man roster. The 30-year-old managed a weak .205/.257/.360 slash line with six homers and 51 strikeouts in 200 at-bats this season (61 games). Given his $9 million contract, he'll likely pass through waivers unclaimed, become a free agent and sign elsewhere for cheap.
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Phillies' Michael Saunders: Scratched from Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Saunders was scratched from the lineup prior to Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
When lineups were initially released Sunday morning, Saunders was penciled in to bat sixth and start in right field. Manager Pete Mackanin has since decided to shake things up by moving Aaron Altherr to right field and having Daniel Nava start in left.
