The Cathedral High graduate is part of an overloaded Los Angeles rotation.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Chris Capuano could be traded to ease a logjam in the rotation.
With Opening Day less than a week away, West Springfield native Chris Capuano is the subject of serious trade interest.
Capuano was scouted Monday by Texas, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Seattle and Cleveland, who watched him in a minor league game. He allowed and three hits, no runs and no walks in seven innings with 11 strikeouts.
A deal might serve the left-hander well. Capuano is one of eight potential starters in the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation, and unless the staff is hit with serious injuries, the 34-year-old Cathedral High graduate is destined for the bullpen.
Capuano has pitched relief only 25 times in a 214-game career. Since his callup with Arizona in 2003, he has been a starter almost exclusively.
He will earn $6 million this year, the back end of a two-year contract. The Dodgers' rotation is set if Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley and Hyun-Jin Ryu are healthy.
Ryu is a South Korean left-hander who was signed in December for $36 million over six years.
That leaves Capuano, Ted Lilly and Aaron Harang, who have won a combined 304 big league games. All are starters, but all could wind up in the bullpen unless injuries occur.
The injury risk has made the Dodgers cautious about trading any of their starters. The club has made it clear that money will not deter them from carry extra players as insurance, even if that causes an overload.
Beyond Capuano's unproven history in relief, an assignment as lefty specialist, setup man or long reliever would damage his value after the 2013 season. He becomes a free agent in November for what might be his last chance to land a good contract.
Capuano was 9-2 at one point last season. He tailed off and finished 12-12, but with a creditable 3.72 ERA in 198 innings.
He has pitched 384 innings over the past two seasons after coming back from his second Tommy John elbow surgery. Capuano pitched for Arizona, Milwaukee and the New York Mets before signing with the Dodgers, where a promising team would give him a chance to make the playoffs for the first time.
All of the teams who scouted him Wednesday have playoff aspirations except possibly the Mariners, are even they are retooling with better days in mind. Only Texas and Toronto could be called favorites to make the postseason, though.
Starting for even a mediocre team could still do more for prolonging Capuano's career than working in relief. Going to Cleveland would reunite him with Terry Francona, who once managed Capuano on a team of American junior all-stars.
The Red Sox were interested in Capuano as a stopgap starter in the final days of the 2011 playoff race, but there is no evidence of interest now. Boston is developing its rotation depth in minor leaguers Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa.
Capuano is 69-76 with a 4.28 career ERA. He was a 2006 All-Star with the Brewers.