Veteran right-hander Daniel Bader Missed the 2024 season after undergoing surgery to repair a flexor tendon in his right elbow. Eight months ago, he sat down with Rob Bradford on the Baseball Is Not Bored podcast to discuss how injuries affect his mentality, daily life and gain insight into the life of an injured pitcher. He also said his recovery would take about a full year. The schedule still appears to be largely the same. Bradford reported this morning that Bader plans to resume throwing the mound early next month. He hopes to sign with a team in April and play soon after.
Bud himself told Bradford in that interview that Bud’s surgery only repaired his flexor tendon, not the ulnar collateral ligament. He had been pitching with elbow pain for some time but was no longer able to complete bullpen sessions. An MRI revealed the need for surgical repair.
The 39-year-old Bader already had a stellar year in 2022, when he posted a 1.79 ERA with a 28.2% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate in 60 1/3 innings with the Rockies. His 34 saves that season were a career high, ranking sixth in baseball.考慮到他在科羅拉多州一家無競爭俱樂部的即將成為自由球員的身份，那年夏天他成為了備受關注的交易候選人，但Rox 與巴德簽訂了為期兩年、價值19 萬美元的續約contract.
Apparently, the deal didn’t work out. Bud performed well in April and May of the following season, but regressed in June/July and struggled in August and September. The right-hander told Bradford he was pitching with elbow pain for much of the 2023 season.
Since returning from a six-year absence from the major leagues in 2020, Bader has been inconsistent, but overall efficient. He had a 3.83 ERA, a 25.1% strikeout rate, and a 13.5% walk rate, skewed by the 21.1% walk rate he recorded in ’23 while pitching with elbow pain and anxiety. Bader attributes his dominant performance in 2022 to scrapping the four-seamer and changing the arm slot on the sinker; if he can return to anything close to that, he’ll be a steal for whoever signs him A good deal.
Of course, this is far from a sure thing, but the healthy version of Bader we’ve seen recently is one of the best relievers in the sport. Considering he wouldn’t sign until closer to game preparation, it’s possible Bader could sign a prorated major league contract and then agree to be drafted come April. Presumably, he will host workouts/showcases for interested teams at that time. He spent the past four years with the Rockies and spoke fondly of his time there and his teammates with the club, which could give the Rox an edge if they were interested in reuniting, but one A healthy Bud should draw attention from a wide range of teams.
