Pittsburgh signed RHP Kip Wells to a one-year, $3.175M contract in mid-January. Wells injured the middle finger on his pitching hand and experienced elbow trouble last season. The 27-year-old underwent surgery in October to relieve the discomfort in his finger, and none of his reported elbow examinations revealed structural damage. While control has never been his strong suit, the finger problem likely deserves blame for the jump in his walk rate last season, so we probably can expect improvement in that area in 2005. Meanwhile, he increased his strikeout rate and kept a good number of balls on the ground. Therefore, a healthy Wells should provide the Pirates with a quality middle of the rotation starter next season.