Right-hander Cooper Criswell and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a fully guaranteed major-league contract for $800,000, a source familiar with the deal said. Boston has a big offseason ahead of them, but they had to take care of some housekeeping first. Expect more moves ahead for Craig Breslow and Co.
Criswell, 29, was a candidate to be non-tendered by the Red Sox this offseason. In seven games in Boston this season, he had a 3.57 ERA and a 9/5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. But in two seasons with the Red Sox he carved out a role as a useful depth arm, posting a 4.00 ERA in 33 games (19 starts) while recording 82 strikeouts.
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Why did the Red Sox sign Cooper Criswell?
The highlight of his season perhaps came in his final outing on Aug. 1 where he threw seven innings while allowing seven hits and one run while striking out four batters in a 2-1 victory against the Houston Astros. While he does not have overpowering stuff, he took advantage of an aggressive Astros lineup and kept them off balance.
"I feel like I'm most comfortable (starting)," Criswell told reporters after the outing. "I also feel like I do any role, almost, to help the team win. Whatever they want from me, I'm open to doing. But yeah, it is nice. I feel like I've been stringing together some good starts in Worcester and getting this opportunity was nice.
In five seasons in the majors, Criswell has pitched with the Los Angeles Angels, Tampa Bay Rays and Red Sox. He’s thrown in 45 combined games (154.2 innings) and has a 4.48 ERA and 113 strikeouts. In six seasons in the minors, he has a 4.16 ERA and 467 strikeouts in 465.1 innings (107 games, including 87 starts).
In Tampa Bay, Criswell pitched out of the bullpen in 2022 and 2023. He threw a combined 36.1 innings (11 games) and posted a 5.45 ERA. He has a four-pitch arsenal, throwing his changeup the most (31.2%) while adding in a cutter (29.7%), sinker (27.9%) and a sweeper (11.2%), according to Baseball Savant.