The Red Sox have signed right-hander Ryan Dempster to a two-year contract.
    
The team announced the signing on Wednesday, six days after two people familiar with the negotiations said Dempster had agreed to a $26.5 million deal.
    
Dempster adds durability and experience to a rotation that underachieved last season when the Red Sox went 69-93 and finished last in the AL East. Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz had disappointing years and John Lackey returns after missing the season following elbow-ligament replacement surgery.
    
Dempster, 35, has pitched more than 200 innings in four of the past five seasons. He went 12-8 with a 3.38 ERA this year, going 5-5 with a 2.25 ERA for the Chicago Cubs and 7-3 with a 5.03 ERA for the Texas Rangers.