Phillies 2017 Season Preview: Outfielder Michael Saunders
By John Town
The Phillies brought in Michael Saunders to boost their offensive production in 2017, and if he does just that, his time in Philadelphia may be short-lived.
After seeing the likes of Peter Bourjos, Cody Asche, and Tyler Goeddel man the corner outfield positions in 2016, the Phillies knew they needed an upgrade for this season. In right field, that upgrade came in the form of former Mariner and Blue Jay Michael Saunders.
In 2016, Saunders was a tale of two halves. He was stellar prior to the All-Star break, hitting 16 home runs with a .923 OPS (147 OPS+). That hitting earned him his first career All-Star berth, but it didn’t translate over to the second half. After the All-Star Game, Saunders went downhill, managing a meager .178/.282/.357 slash line over his last 58 games of the season.
Saunders couldn’t have hit free agency at a worst time as the market was saturated with heavy-hitting outfielders like Jose Bautista, Yoenis Cespedes, and Mark Trumno. Saunders wound up settling for an eight-million dollar, one-year deal with the Phillies with an option for the 2018 season with a $1MM buyout.
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Signing Saunders surprised some since the team had two potential options to start Opening Day in right field in Aaron Altherr and Roman Quinn. The move was also puzzling considering general manager Matt Klentak had stressed not blocking prospects with offseason acquisitions, and the signing of Saunders did just that to Quinn, Dylan Cozens and Nick Williams.
What gives the Saunders signing some sensibility is the fact that his contract is quite team-friendly.
Since it is only a one-year deal, it seems unlikely that Saunders will return to Philadelphia in 2018. The team has the prospects to replace him, and with a good season, Saunders could command a lot of money elsewhere.
Regardless, Saunders is a Phillie now, and he’s slotted to be one of the key bats in the middle of the order for the team. Considering how poor the offensive production was from the outfield last season outside of Odubel Herrera, adding Saunders shouldn’t be any worse.
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If Saunders can return to level of play he was at during the first half of the 2016 season, he could play his way into becoming a valuable trade chip for the Phillies. Klentak expressed during the offseason that the team has several potential trade chips on the roster should the Phils be out of contention when the trade deadline rolls around at the end of July. Saunders, with his short-term deal and hypothetical strong play, could very well be an attractive acquisition for another team.
Trading Saunders would free up a roster spot for one of Quinn, Cozens or Williams should they be playing well at Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start off the season.
What would muddy the waters would be if the team fails to move Saunders at the deadline for whatever reason, like what happened last year with Jeremy Hellickson. This would force the team into a bind in regards to playing time for both Saunders and the prospects if and when they are promoted.
As mentioned earlier, it’s hard to see the Phils retaining Saunders for 2018, so they will likely exercise his buyout. What stinks about this scenario is that the team would get nothing back for him once they lose him.
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Now that Saunders is in Philadelphia, we hope that he can produce enough offensively in the first half of the 2017 season to warrant a potential trade at the deadline.