On this date in 2005, the Marlins signed free agent third baseman Wes Helms to a one-year, $800K contract.
Helms, a six-foot-four, 230 lb. third baseman from Gastonia, NC, was born on May 12th, 1976. Initially a 10th round selection by the Atlanta Braves back in the 1994 MLB Amateur Entry Draft, he was a seven-season major league veteran by the time he signed with Florida.
In those first seven major league seasons by Helms, four with the Braves, and three with the Milwaukee Brewers, he totaled a WAR figure of -0.8. To put that into perspective, he was worth somewhat less than a “replacement” level player.