Headlines

  • Aaron Judge Will Not Require Elbow Surgery; Rodón, Volpe Expected To Start 2026 On IL
  • Anthony Volpe Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
  • Alex Bregman Will Opt Out Of Red Sox Contract
  • Mike Shildt Steps Down As Padres Manager
  • Tigers Extended Manager A.J. Hinch Earlier This Season
  • Munetaka Murakami To Be Posted This Offseason
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Athletics
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2026
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rockies Sign Michael Saunders

By Connor Byrne | January 1, 2019 at 5:41pm CDT

The Rockies have signed outfielder Michael Saunders to a minor league contract, Brandon Warne of Zone Coverage reports. They’re Saunders’ first team since the White Sox released him in late June.

A former top prospect with Seattle, Saunders has been a solid major leaguer at times – including during an All-Star 2016 with the Blue Jays. Saunders’ numbers plummeted in the second half of his All-Star season, though, and he has fallen off the radar over the past couple years.

In 2017, which he opened with the Phillies after they awarded him a $9MM guarantee in free agency, Saunders managed a disastrous .202/.256/.344 batting line in 234 major league plate appearances. He struggled so badly in Philadelphia that the club released him midway through the season, leading the Canadian-born Saunders to return to the Blue Jays on a minors deal. However, Saunders was unable to rebound in Toronto or with its Triple-A affiliate.

Unfortunately for Saunders, his stock took an even greater hit in 2018. Not only did Saunders fail to reach the majors with the bottom-feeding Orioles or White Sox, but his production tanked with their minor league teams. Across 154 PAs at the Triple-A level, the 32-year-old batted .158/.273/.248.

Share Repost Send via email

Colorado Rockies Transactions Michael Saunders

Quick Hits: Stark, Blue Jays, Atkins, Astros
Main
Pirates Sign Tyler Lyons
View Comments (36)
Post a Comment

36 Comments

  1. xabial

    7 years ago

    Saunders continues his attempt to sign minor league contracts with every team in MLB. — Hang in there :/

    2
    Reply
  2. flippinbats79

    7 years ago

    Career totally derailed by a sprinklerhead

    2
    Reply
    • its_happening

      7 years ago

      And then rushed back into action way before he should have in 2015. Jays medical staff and AA pushing him back on the field was reckless.

      4
      Reply
  3. Rumncoke

    7 years ago

    waste money

    Reply
    • RedFeather

      7 years ago

      Waste of money?!? It was only a one year 18 million dollar deal.

      Reply
      • hiflew

        7 years ago

        Only $18 million? So you think $18 million in one year is change in the sofa or something? Managed correctly that one year salary could set up a family for life. Some people really need to realize that this is real money we are talking about, not Monopoly money or some random code on a computer screen.

        9
        Reply
        • wrigleywannabe

          7 years ago

          And him getting that money did not prevent a single person from making their own money.

          Stop blaming hihgly paid people for the failures of others

          1
          Reply
        • wrigleywannabe

          7 years ago

          Maybe, you should donate percentage of your salary.

          My family of five is fine on 25 grand a year. What do you make?

          Do yoy pump millions into the economy, like he does?

          Do you understand economics?

          1
          Reply
        • todd76

          7 years ago

          Kudos to you. Are you planning on college expenses for the kids?

          Reply
        • jdgoat

          7 years ago

          18 million is nothing for almost every team on a one year gamble.

          Reply
        • RedFeather

          7 years ago

          Eh.. this was a joke you know?

          Reply
      • hchase27

        7 years ago

        It was actually “only” 8 million.

        1
        Reply
    • wrigleywannabe

      7 years ago

      Please, us an “of”, once in a while.

      Reply
      • nymetsking

        7 years ago

        An “e” might be helpful in yours.

        5
        Reply
        • clepto

          7 years ago

          Excellent zing!

          1
          Reply
  4. Strike Four

    7 years ago

    From standing on the field at the 2016 all-star game to not even cracking mlb in 2018. Such a quick fall, he probably can come back.

    3
    Reply
  5. Mystery Team

    7 years ago

    For what was supposed to be the greatest hot stove season in MLB history it’s been rather crappy. Oh and how sad is Jon Heyman’s life that he sits there staring at Manny Machado’s social media to see who he follows and unfollows? Jon dude, go get laid my man, seriously.

    4
    Reply
    • wrigleywannabe

      7 years ago

      How sad is your life that it revolves around a half finished baseball offseason and that you are obsessed with who he watches?

      1
      Reply
    • joepanikatthedisco

      7 years ago

      I’m sure Jon’s job is better than yours.

      Reply
  6. cygnus2112

    7 years ago

    Organizational depth at this point unfortunately. At one time though when youth & health was on his side, he was a quality MLB’er!

    Reply
  7. snotrocket

    7 years ago

    Would be cool if he could make a successful comeback, but I have zero confidence in that actually happening.

    1
    Reply
  8. Brent Griffith

    7 years ago

    Anybody else want to see the 2 Los Angeles teams make a trade involving Mike Trout?

    Reply
    • GeoKaplan

      7 years ago

      No.

      Reply
    • gmenfan

      7 years ago

      Lonely in that boat, ain’t it?

      Reply
  9. jimmertee

    7 years ago

    Something has been clearly physcially wrong with Saunders or he needs a new vitamin/workout regimen. To rise and fall so quickly is either injury or lack of vitamins.

    2
    Reply
    • its_happening

      7 years ago

      You saw what the Jays did to him in 2015.

      “Saunders will be out probably until the All-Star break” (Feb 2015)

      Saunders makes debut April 25th, almost THREE MONTHS earlier than expected from a torn meniscus. Blatantly irresponsible by the Jays organization to have allowed that to happen. And he was limping around, clearly showing he wasn’t close to 100%.

      3
      Reply
      • hiflew

        7 years ago

        You can’t really blame his fall on that, because the guy made the All Star team AFTER that occurred. He just had a rapid fall off at the age of 31 like has happened to many in the past (and in the future).

        Reply
      • jdgoat

        7 years ago

        I don’t think that’s true. Saunders had surgery to remove the meniscus, which is a four to six week recovery time. If the surgery would’ve been to repair it, it would’ve taken him out until the all star break.

        Reply
        • its_happening

          7 years ago

          ^Then you enjoyed watching Saunders painfully limp on the field knowing how severe his injury was? Jays opted to take a risky shortcut and it backfired. Yeah, let’s make the outfielder that needs his legs to cover ground back in 4-6 weeks after a torn meniscus. Verrrrry smart.

          Reply
        • jdgoat

          7 years ago

          That’s the timeline for the surgery. You could be cautious with any injury and have them sit out longer than a medical professional suggests. I don’t see how using that timeframe is wrong though. I doubt any teams have guys sit out longer than they have to unless the team is well out or already has a playoff spot locked up.

          Reply
        • jdgoat

          7 years ago

          It also wasn’t their decision to have Saunders have the surgery. They wanted him to have the meniscus repaired, he’s the one who had the final say though.

          Reply
  10. Buddy “Bud” Hull

    7 years ago

    He was a 20/20 player in the early 2010s with the Mariners for a season but got banged up quite often. I still wish they would have let him build on his productive (when healthy) 2014 and use him on the 2015 roster, but it wasn’t meant to be. Always liked him though, even if his luck always seemed to be lacking on the injury front. Keeping him in the corner OF was always the better option for him in his prime, but it’s the only place he should be playing now. Hope he can mash in Coors if given the opportunity.

    Reply
  11. Rumncoke

    7 years ago

    I’m 46 haven’t played ball since 14 but I’m ready to sign.

    4
    Reply
  12. marinerfan

    7 years ago

    Good luck, Condor.

    2
    Reply
  13. WilliamA

    7 years ago

    Hi, we’re the Rockies and we hate Raimel Tapia.

    Reply
  14. rockiesrock

    7 years ago

    y can’t we just for once sign somebody that ain’t washed up? All we do is sign old 35+ year old dudes that it seems like the only place in the world they have a change to still play is in Coors ? lets go get mike trout next year !!!!!!!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Aaron Judge Will Not Require Elbow Surgery; Rodón, Volpe Expected To Start 2026 On IL

    Anthony Volpe Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

    Alex Bregman Will Opt Out Of Red Sox Contract

    Mike Shildt Steps Down As Padres Manager

    Tigers Extended Manager A.J. Hinch Earlier This Season

    Munetaka Murakami To Be Posted This Offseason

    Cody Bellinger To Opt Out Of Contract With Yankees

    Angels, Albert Pujols Discussing Managerial Deal

    Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2026

    Rangers Hire Skip Schumaker As Manager

    Albert Pujols To Interview For Angels’ Managerial Vacancy, May Be “Leading Choice”

    Bill Schmidt Will Not Return As Rockies’ GM

    Brian Snitker Will Not Return As Braves’ Manager In 2026

    Angels To Have New Manager In 2026

    Rays Sale To Patrick Zalupski’s Group Officially Completed

    Guardians Promote Chase DeLauter For Wild Card Series

    Bruce Bochy Will Not Return As Rangers Manager Amid Financial Uncertainty

    Liam Hendriks Undergoes Ulnar Nerve Transposition Surgery

    Twins Fire Rocco Baldelli

    Giants Fire Bob Melvin

    Recent

    Blue Jays Plan To Remove Anthony Santander From Playoff Roster With Back Injury

    Poll: Will Anthony Volpe Be The Yankees’ Shortstop In 2026?

    Coaching Notes: Varitek, Ramirez, Molina

    Rays Re-Sign Kodi Whitley To Minor League Deal

    Kevin Alcántara Undergoes Sports Hernia Surgery

    Aaron Judge Will Not Require Elbow Surgery; Rodón, Volpe Expected To Start 2026 On IL

    Cubs Notes: Tucker, Imanaga, Horton, Coaching Staff

    The Opener: ALCS, NLCS, Waiver Wire

    A.J. Preller Discusses Padres’ Rotation

    Latest On Mike Shildt’s Resignation As Padres Manager

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Every MLB Trade In July
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Tim Dierkes' MLB Mailbag
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2026
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version