Chris Capuano

Former Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Chris Capuano has signed with the Red Sox, pending a physical.

(Associated Press)

Left-hander Chris Capuano of West Springfield has signed with the Boston Red Sox, pending a physical.

Capuano, 35, has pitched his entire career in the National League. He will receive a reported $2.25 million base with the Red Sox, and bonus clauses could raise his salary to as high as $5 million.

Capuano drew interest from several teams, most of them in the American League. Boston and Seattle appeared to be the finalists.

Capuano has pitched almost entirely as a starter and that is his preference. With Boston, he will likely be used in a swing role as a multi-inning reliever and spot starter.

The Red Sox rotation looks set with Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey, Jake Peavy and Felix Doubront. The bullpen includes Koji Uehara, Burke Badenhop, Edwin Mujica, Junichi Tazawa and two left-handers, Craig Breslow and Andrew Miller.

If everyone is healthy, that leaves one spot on a 12-man staff. Brandon Workman is a candidate, and the Red Sox have several enticing minor league prospects.

Capuano lends experience, however, as well as versatility and left-handed depth. In his career playoff debut, he pitched three hitless innings of relief in the 2013 NL Division Series, getting the Game 3 win as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves.

Capuano has never pitched in the World Series. Boston gives him that chance.

Their interest in him grew after Ryan Dempster decided not to pitch in 2014, according to reports. Dempster is more widely acclaimed than Capuano, but by replacing one with the other, Boston saves most of Dempster's $13.25 million contract and winds up with a comparable pitcher.

Dempster's 4.57 ERA in 2014 was higher than Capuano's, though pitching in the AL East can inflate such numbers.

Capuano is a 1996 graduate of Cathedral High School. He was 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA with the Dodgers last year.

In a major league career that began in 2003, he is 73-83 with a 4.27 ERA.

The physical is an important final step, as Capuano has had two Tommy John elbow surgeries and other injuries. He is healthy now, however.

In 2011, the Red Sox explored a deal with the New York Mets for Capuano in September. He would have been acquired to pitch one late-season game against the Yankees in New York, but the Mets' asking price was deemed too high for such a last-minute, specific assignment by the Red Sox, who were involved in a playoff race that ultimately fell one game short.

Capuano grew up as a Red Sox fan. He has never pitched in Fenway Park, but did face the Red Sox in Los Angeles last year.

Even with a full rotation and a revamped bullpen, Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington has been looking for depth, and Capuano addresses that need.

"We feel we’re in a stronger position than we were to start last spring training. We don’t know what the season will bring on us,'' Cherington said.

"Last year we were relatively healthy. Clay Buchholz was missing time, but aside from that, it was a fairly healthy year.

"You can never have enough (pitching). As soon as you stop and think you have enough, a week later you don’t have enough. We’ll continue that mindset.''