The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Wednesday afternoon that they have signed outfielder Michael Saunders to a minor league deal, with an invite to Major League Spring Training. The 31-year-old Saunders has nine years worth of big league experience.
Saunders split the 2017 season between the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays, hitting a combined .202/.256/.344 in 73 games. He spent part of the season in Triple-A. It was a large drop-off from his 2016 season when he hit .253/.338/.478 for Toronto, making his first All-Star game appearance. In nine seasons, he has a .232/.305/.397 slash line over 775 games.