The Colorado Rockies have an All-Star lineup on their injured list. It is a who’s who of veterans and twilight players of note. The most shocking part is the percentage of the Rockies budget that is dedicated to the players that are being paid to rehab or nurse an injury. The thinking is that if you keep them on the payroll, then maybe one day they will come back and give the team a few more games of good performance before they call it quits.
But what do you do when a player alludes to the fact that he is not coming back after you signed him to a $19 million extension? Enter the Daniel Bard conundrum. Bard retired in 2017 after nearly four years of failed attempts to re-enter the majors after he garnered his initial fame as a Boston Red Sox pitcher, but in late season of 2013 he was designated for assignment and released to the Chicago Cubs. Bard continued to bounce around the minors for following few seasons but never stepped into another major league game before officially retiring in October of 2017.
Bard seemed done, but then the Rockies decided to offer him a contract in 2020. That is when the story gets interesting and unexpected because Bard goes on to have two of the best years of his careers as a closer for the Rockies. In 2021, Bard chalked up 20 saves and four holds off 67 mound appearances to finish with a 7-8 record and a 5.21 ERA. However, 2022 turned out to be the year the Rockies really got their money’s worth when Bard turned out to be the closer they needed with 34 saves and a 1.79 ERA for the season.
With all the excitement over his late-inning success, the Rockies offered Bard a $19 million 2-year extension to keep bringing those saves. In 2023, Bard recorded 49.1 innings pitched with one save and six holds. It was also the start of a series of stays on the injured list that seemed to mark the true end of Bard’s pitching career.
On April 21st of this season, Bard was moved to the 60-day injured list for having surgery on his right arm. This was after having already been in the process of rehabbing a knee injury sustained before the pre-season. Will the 38-year-old Bard receive a new contract and return in 2025? Probably not given that he has already started to float the response that maybe he would prefer to stay home with his family more after this contract extension ends. It is probably safe to assume that fans have seen the last of Daniel Bard pitching for the Rockies from a major league mound.
