Bard, Rox avoid arbitration with 1-yr. deal

Rockies right-hander Daniel Bard agreed to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration, the club announced on Wednesday.

The deal is said to be for $2.925 million, but the club has not confirmed the terms.

Bard earned the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award this past season after making an improbable return. The 35-year-old righty had not pitched in the Majors since 2013, after he began dealing with injuries and mechanical issues during the '12 campaign. He made only two MLB appearances in '13, instead pitching primarily in the Minors, where he would spend the next several years trying to move past a severe case of the yips.

Bard ultimately retired in '17 and spent the next two seasons working as a player mentor in the D-backs' organization. He was planning to remain in that role for a third season until deciding before Spring Training to make one last comeback attempt. It paid off, as Bard not only made the Rockies' Opening Day roster, he promptly earned the win in a scoreless relief outing in his July 25 season debut.

Overall, Bard went 4-2 with six saves and a 3.65 ERA in 23 appearances. He held the opposition scoreless in 14 of those 23 outings.

"It's more than I ever anticipated when I made the decision to play again. It was not an easy decision being retired two years and really having moved on to a different career," Bard told MLB Network after being named the NL Comeback Player of the Year. "It's something my wife and I talked about, and she supported me in it. I knew I was throwing the ball well, but I was hoping to get one more game in the big leagues -- one more pitch -- and it turned out to be a lot more than that. So I'm just extremely grateful."