NY Mets take advantage of recent Pirates-Red Sox trade by snatching relief depth

Thursday’s biggest MLB transaction had five players changing teams. The Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates lined up for a trade no one predicted with the headliners being Johan Oviedo and Jhostynxon Garcia. Feeling left out, the New York Mets swooped in Friday afternoon by taking advantage of a player who was cut by Boston as a result of this trade.

Cooper Criswell became a roster casualty as a result of the trade, placing the 29-year-old righty on waivers. Less than 24 hours later, he was claimed by the Mets in what is surely nothing more than an insurance policy.

Out of minor league options and unspectacular, expect Criswell to be one of those 40-man roster placeholders the Mets may attempt to pass through waivers later on.

Cooper Criswell has some intriguing qualities, just not enough to expect him to stick around with the Mets for too long

Just a 6.6 K/9 rate in 154.2 MLB innings shows us the kind of pitcher Criswell is. Some good groundball results do little to improve his chances of remaining with the Mets. He has pitched to a 4.12 ERA in Triple-A while working as a starter and reliever. Criswell is the kind of guy the Mets would love to have around for a weekend series when the rest of the arms are burnt out and they want some added protection in case of an emergency or blowout.

Formerly a member of the Tampa Bay Rays organization, he only somewhat fits the type of pitcher David Stearns has brought us on a regular basis. The groundball rate, sitting at 48.6% in his MLB career, is solid. He went even higher last year in limited action with the Red Sox to 53%. However, it did little to help him in other places. Batters slashed .311/.350/.459 against him. He pitches with good control but batters are able to handle what he throws in the strike zone. Don’t be fooled for a second by his 3.57 ERA last year. Criswell got knocked around.

There is very little room on the Mets roster for him and the hope is probably for a chance to retain him the next time he is DFA’d. There is only one vacant roster spot remaining for the Mets with pitchers like Criswell, Richard Lovelady, Austin Warren, and maybe a few more as some of the next casualties.

At minimum, the Mets have a closer to sign. They could also benefit from another mid-tier righty reliever with some upside. Criswell’s chance of surviving the offseason while remaining on the Mets’ 40-man roster would require a few more subtractions (done easily with a blockbuster trade) and a preference for him over some of the others already here.

One quality that does help Criswell stand out a little bit is his arm angle. Measuring 9 degrees this past season, his delivery is somewhat similar to Chris Sale's who was at 9 degrees in 2025. The uniqueness of this could be one of the reasons why the Mets couldn't wait to snatch him up. It doesn't compare to the -61 degrees Tyler Rogers delivers from, but does clock in on the lower level.

The Red Sox had hoped by giving Criswell a larger salary that other teams might pass on him while on waivers. Not Steve Cohen's wallet.