By Paul L. Taylor Posted on

Mariners continue to stockpile pitching depth after deal with Mets

The Seattle Mariners have acquired righty Cooper Criswell from the New York Mets in exchange for cash considerations.

Mariners fans remain eager for the organization to make one more big move prior to spring training, to really help set up the team for another special season. In the meantime however, they continue to add depth including focusing on more pitching, as evidenced by the recent acquisitions of righty Yosver Zulueta and World Series winner Dane Dunning.

The Mariners continued in this vein on Friday, with Executive Vice President and General Manager of Baseball Operations Justin Hollander confirming they have acquired Cooper Criswell from the New York Mets in exchange for cash considerations. Lefty Jhonathan Díaz was designated for assignment in a corresponding move and the M’s 40-man roster remains full at 40 players.

Criswell himself had been designated for assignment by the Mets earlier this week, after they acquired Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers from the Milwaukee Brewers. In an interesting connection, two-time All-Star Peralta was previously a pitching prospect with the Mariners until they traded him to the Brewers in December of 2015, as part of a return package for Adam Lind. (Remember him!)

Mariners wait to see what they have in Cooper Criswell

Mariners
Mariners

Of course the biggest question with Criswell is to wonder what he brings to Seattle and how useful he will be to the organization? While he technically has five years of experience at the Major League level, he has only appeared in 45 games including 21 starts, resulting in 154.2 combined innings of action for the Los Angeles Angels, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox.

The right-handed pitcher’s most extensive Major League experience came during 2024 with the Red Sox, when he pitched a career-high 99.1 innings over 18 starts and eight appearances out of the bullpen. It was nothing noteworthy, but serviceable enough as he produced a 0.7 bWAR, 6-5 record, 4.08 ERA, 102 ERA+, 4.15 FIP and 1.349 WHIP.

Last season Criswell’s opportunities at the Major League level in Boston were few and far between, as he only made one start and six relief appearances for a combined 17.2 innings. He did have a 3.57 ERA and 117 ERA+, although he also produced a 5.17 FIP and 1.585 WHIP on his way to a -0.1 bWAR.

The 29-year-old spent the majority of his 2025 campaign in Triple-A Worcester, where he started 14 games and made two appearances out of the bullpen for a combined 65.2 innings. The returns were decent enough in fairness, as he generated a 4-2 record, 3.70 ERA, 24.5 percent strikeout rate and 49.4 percent ground ball rate.

Moments of promise for Cooper Criswell in the majors

Criswell has had his moments in the majors, including a career-high nine strikeouts over 5.0 innings in a 4-2 win for the Red Sox versus the Washington Nationals during the 2024 season. And last year in his one start he pitched 7.0 strong innings against the M’s AL West rivals the Houston Astros and only allowed one run, in a game the Red Sox eventually won 2-1 in extra innings.

As per Darragh McDonald of  MLB Trade Rumors, Criswell previously agreed a deal with the Red Sox guaranteeing him $800,000 in 2026, even though he had not yet qualified for arbitration. This alludes to wanting to dissuade other teams claiming him off waivers and yet that’s exactly what the Mets did last month.

Now, the Mariners and their fans wait to find out what they have in the 2018 13th round draft pick. At the very least he offers Major League experience depth for the organization, whether they want to use him out of the bullpen or as injury insurance at the back-end of the rotation.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rogers Photography

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