Though the Mets finished in third in the National League East in , it was not out of a lack of pitching. Sanders, along with former Brewers teammate Skip Lockwood and Bob Apodaca, gave the Mets one of the more formidable bullpens in the division. For his part, Sanders went 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA and five saves. Toward the end of the season, his contract was sold to the Kansas City Royals. He started the season playing minor league ball for the Brewers before retiring, and moving into real estate.