Daniel Bard Rides the Brinkball Bandwagon, Signs One-Year, $4.4 Million Deal with Rockies

Hours after being released by the Baltimore Orioles, the righthander Daniel Bard signed a one-year, $4.4 million contract with the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies posted an official announcement with the deal on Twitter:

Daniel Bard to the #Rockies, a 1-year, $4.4M deal, with a $2.4M base, $1.1M prorated 4th year option. — Rockies PR (@RockiesPR) June 18, 2016

This was by no means a demotion by the Rockies.

Bard’s release by the Orioles earlier today clears the way for the righthander to sign a one-year deal with an $8 million salary. Bard signed a one-year deal with the Mets in February but was cut on Opening Day.

Last season was Bard’s first in the majors since he pitched for the Red Sox in 2010.

Bard was one of the most sought-after arms in the Red Sox system before he fell from grace. Over the course of five seasons in the majors, Bard’s success came down to three factors: A low walk rate and a high strikeout rate.

A walk rate of less than 3 per nine innings led to a high-strikeout rate of 12.4 per nine innings in the majors. But when Bard was without the command, his command was impaired. Over that five-year stretch, Bard averaged a walk rate of about 4.6 per nine innings.

The lefty worked for Baltimore on Saturday night but failed to complete an inning in a 9-1 loss to the Astros. The setback prompted general manager Dan Duquette to part ways with Bard and the club made room on the 40-man roster.

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