The to-do list for the Boston Red Sox this coming offseason will be lengthy.

The Red Sox will have to decide what it wants to do with manager Bobby Valentine and his future.

David Ortiz and Cody Ross will be free agents and the team might also want to make a decision on Jacoby Ellsbury, who becomes a free agent following the 2013 season.

Less prominent, but still fairly important, is the issue of what to do with Daniel Bard.

For years, the 27-year old was considered a rising pitching star.

Things have a funny way of changing, though. As the 2012 season approaches its conclusion, Bard is more mystery than stud.

It started with his move to the starting rotation. He hadn't started since some very unsuccessful stints in Single-A in 2007.

That didn't faze new Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington, who saw Bard's size, above-average slider and ability to routinely throw between 95 and 100 MPH as a perfect skill set for a starting pitcher.

Bard exited spring training as a starter and fell flat on his face, bottoming out on June 3 in Toronto when he had one of the worst starts in recent memory.

That prompted a demotion to the minors, where Bard continued to struggle. He eventually made his way back to the majors, but the Bard coming out of the bullpen now bares little resemblance to the Bard who came out of the bullpen the last three seasons.

According to fangraphs.com, Bard's velocity is down on all of his pitches. But it goes beyond that--you don't need any stats to see what Bard's biggest problem is.

All you had to do was tune in Wednesday night to see his appearance in the sixth inning. June 3 was almost three and a half months ago, but you wouldn't have known it if you were watching Wednesday.

Bard entered with no outs and a runner on second base in a game the Red Sox trailed 8-3.

Things got worse.

Bard faced five batters, surrendering three walks and one hit while registering just one out. He threw 16 pitches and only four of those were for strikes. And worse, it's hard to tell whether we should consider the rough outing a step back for Bard at this point.

Maybe this is now Daniel Bard.

That's what the Red Sox need to figure out this offseason. If Bard has undergone some sort of Rick Ankiel-esque transformation and is now nothing more than a pitcher with a decent fastball and slider who can't throw them for strikes, he's done.

In the end velocity is very important, but if you're not throwing strikes it doesn't matter how fast the ball hurtles toward the plate. If Bard can't force major league hitters to swing their bats, appearances like Wednesday's won't be unusual--they'll be routine.

There's no reason not to give Bard more chances at redemption as the 2012 season concludes. The games aren't going to impact Boston's postseason chances, and if Bard can figure out a way to retain the form he had from 2009 through 2011 then he instantly becomes a major asset for the Red Sox heading into the 2013 season.

But if he continues on this current path of wildness, the Red Sox need to decide if its time to give up on Bard.

After just one terrible season, some teams may be willing to trade for Bard in hopes that they can determine a way to get him back on track. But any value he still holds will decrease if the Red Sox hold onto him and he pitches just as poorly next season.

Fewer than two years ago, Bard was one of the players mentioned as potential trade bait when rumors circulated that the Red Sox were interested in trading for Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton.

Those days are long gone. Bard no longer holds nearly as much value.

And the questions persist:

If Bard has no medical issues, why has his velocity fallen so fiercely? Did the switch to starter throw off his game? Did his demotion complicate things? Is his confidence gone forever or just hiding somewhere waiting to return to its owner? Is his 2012 season an aberration or the beginning of something considerably worse?

Then again perhaps this season really is just an aberration? Maybe the switch to the role of starting pitcher threw Bard off his game, and then the shift from the majors, to the minors, and back to the majors hasn't allowed him to ever regain his footing?

From 2009 to 2011, the Red Sox had a really good pitcher who came out of the bullpen standing 6-foot-4. In 197 innings during that span, he struck out 213 batters while walking only 76.

If the Daniel Bard of old still exists, the Red Sox need to find him.