David Wells
The 2005 Red Sox were the defending World Series champions but suffered a fair amount of roster turnover in the wake of the magical October of 2004. Chief among those issues was the starting rotation which lost both Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe to free agency. Looking to fill the void, one of the pitchers the team brought in was the “Hefty Lefty,” David Wells.
Wells had been a productive pitcher over the first seventeen years of his career, winning over 200 games while playing for seven different teams (including two separate stints each with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees). He had won two World Series (one each with the Jays and Yankees) and thrown a perfect game. He was also known for his rubber arm and ability to eat innings (among other things).
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However, by the time the Red Sox signed him to a two-year contract in the winter of 2004, he was forty-two years old and seriously overweight and out of shape. Still, he was actually pretty good in 2005, posting a 15-7 record (in 30 starts) although his ERA was high at 4.45 and he only struck out 107 batters. He also pitched pretty well in a loss to the Chicago White Sox in the 2005 ALDS.
Even so, having your rotation anchored by an overweight forty-two year old (remember, Curt Schilling was still feeling the effects of his ankle injury during the 2005 season) is never a recipe for success. Wells came back late in 2006 after having knee surgery in the offseason and made only 8 starts, going 2-3 with a 4.98 ERA and only 24 strikeouts.
At the tail end of August 2006, he was traded to the Padres, ending his short stint with the Red Sox.