For his 45th birthday in 11 days, David Wells wants something pinstriped.
The free-agent left-hander told The Post yesterday he has been working out near his home in San Diego and believes he could bolster a Yankees’ rotation suddenly besieged by question marks.
Could Boomer III be in the cards? Consider that Wells has a huge fan monitoring the situation from Tampa. Hank Steinbrenner admitted yesterday that Wells, who recently made appearances on “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” has crossed his mind as a possibility for the Yankees’ rotation.
“I’ve thought about it,” Steinbrenner told The Post. “I saw him on TV, and I did think about it when I was watching.”
But Steinbrenner said he has not discussed Wells’ availability with GM Brian Cashman or manager Joe Girardi. That, Steinbrenner indicated, could change depending upon how Darrell Rasner and Kei Igawa fare in the rotation as Phil Hughes sits on the disabled list for at least two months with a rib fracture and Ian Kennedy attempts to return from Triple-A.
“You never know,” Steinbrenner said. “[Wells] hasn’t come up in conversation, but I’ve had so much other [bleep] to deal with lately.”
Wells finished 9-9 with a 5.43 ERA for the Padres and Dodgers last season, and went unsigned over the winter. He does not consider himself retired, and said his arm feels great and he has been attempting to keep loose by pitching to his son’s high-school team.
Diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes during spring training last year, Wells has shed 25 pounds and tips the scales around 245.
“I’m in shape, I’d just have to fine-tune a couple of things,” Wells said. “I’d need a little bit of time, but not much. Physically I feel fine, real good.”
Wells, who has 239 career victories, pitched for the Yankees from 1997-98 and again from 2002-03. The 10th anniversary of his perfect game against the Twins is a week from tomorrow.
Wells still laments the fact he was traded to the Blue Jays for Roger Clemens in 1999 and that, upon his return, the Yankees didn’t re-sign him following the 2003 season.
“New York has always been the favorite of all my stops,” Wells said. “When I got traded, I was bitter. When they didn’t re-sign me, I was bitter, but I know that wasn’t the Yankees, everything was Joe Torre. I wasn’t one of his boys. I don’t think he liked the way I lived my life or that I spoke my mind.”
Wells added that he considers Girardi a close friend and would enjoy playing for his former catcher. Steinbrenner put to rest any notion there’s friction between Wells and the organization.
“Obviously, he’ll always be a Yankee to me,” Steinbrenner said.
The Baby Boss then dropped a subtle hint he’s growing disillusioned with the Yankees’ youth movement and could open the door to Wells.
“What sticks out in my mind, that team in the late ’90s, the starting pitching,” he said. “You had [David] Cone, El Duque [Orlando Hernandez], Wells . . . they were all big-game pitchers. They all came from elsewhere – not in the system.
“Everybody talks about the great players from the farm system that we had in the ’90s, but it was the starting rotation. That was a huge part of the success. Huge.”
One veteran Yankee, well aware of the Steinbrenner family’s affection for Wells and the lefty’s appetite for a big stage, said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Wells return.
“It may happen,” the Yankee said.
Wells says the Yankees would have nothing to lose: He wouldn’t cost the team anything, in terms of talent, and could simply be unloaded if he proved ineffective.
“If you’re not going that good, what the hell, it doesn’t hurt to make a change and take a chance,” Wells said. “I’m the type of guy, just give me the ball and let me do my thing. I’m not afraid to fail.”
mpuma@nypost.com