Former Tampa Bay Rays Pitcher Finds New Home with AL East Rival
After being designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays this offseason, pitcher Cooper Criswell has latched on with the division-rival Boston Red Sox.
Per Jeff Passan of ESPN:
Right-hander Cooper Criswell and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year, $1 million contract, a source tells ESPN. Criswell, 27, spent the last two seasons in Tampa Bay and was DFA’d but found a solid market and leveraged it into a fully guaranteed big league deal.
Criswell has appeared in parts of three big league seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and Rays. He's made 12 career appearances and owns a 5.97 ERA. He threw in 10 games for Tampa Bay in 2023, going 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA.
The Red Sox are taking a flier on Criswell, who could be part of an intriguing bullpen mix for manager Alex Cora. Under new Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, the Sox have picked up multiple pitchers that they deem interesting. They earlier picked up Isiah Campbell from the Seattle Mariners. In addition, the Sox are expected to be active in the starting pitcher market, which could force guys like Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock and/or Kutter Crawford into the bullpen, making that group even more tight and competitive.
The Red Sox finished last in the American League East in 2023 and haven't made the playoffs since the 2021 season. They last won the World Series in 2018 when they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It will be interesting to see how Breslow attacks the market from this point forward, given that the team has so many needs heading into 2024.
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