Report: Saunders drew interest from 4 teams before agreeing with Phillies
If all goes well during his physical - which is expected to happen to the next day or two - outfielder Michael Saunders will officially become a member of the Philadelphia Phillies - and a richer person - after agreeing to a one-year deal guaranteeing him $9 million on Monday.
Before reaching the deal with the Phillies, Saunders was apparently a popular free-agent target, according to a source of ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, who reports the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, and Arizona Diamondbacks all expressed interest in the 30-year-old.
However, it was the Phillies' one-year offer, which includes a club option for 2018 as well as performance and award bonuses - which could push the deal's value to $22 million, according to Crasnick - that swayed Saunders to the City of Brotherly Love.
Saunders joins a Phillies club that has been active throughout the offseason, acquiring veterans Howie Kendrick, Pat Neshek, Joaquin Benoit, and Clay Buchholz.
The eight-year major leaguer had a career year with the Blue Jays last season, hitting 24 home runs to go along with 57 RBIs and an .815 OPS en route to his first All-Star appearance.
However, he struggled to a .178/.282/.357 slash line in the season's second half.
Over the course of his big-league career, Saunders owns a .235/.309/.402 hitting line with 75 home runs and 242 RBIs in 702 games.
He earned $2.9 million last season.