Red Sox Cut Ties With 29-Year-Old Starter After Johan Oviedo Trade

Is Boston eating a guaranteed salary?

Apr 6, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez (75) and relief pitcher Cooper Criswell (64) celebrate defeating the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Every move has a counter-move, and the Boston Red Sox decided that one pitcher coming in meant another coming out.

On Thursday evening, the Red Sox reportedly acquired talented right-hander Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates, a physically imposing 27-year-old with electric stuff and the potential to break out after a strong return from Tommy John surgery this summer.

Boston needed to open up a spot on the 40-man roster because lefty Tyler Samaniego, who also came to Boston in the trade, was on the 40-man in Pittsburgh. A pitcher was clearly going to get the short end of the stick, and it's hard to argue against who the Red Sox chose.

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Red Sox DFA Cooper Criswell, per report

According to a report from Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox are designating righty Cooper Criswell for assignment.

Criswell, who made 18 starts and threw 99 1/3 innings for the Red Sox last year, spent most of this season in Triple-A, though he had one memorable seven-inning start against the Houston Astros in August. In 17 2/3 major league innings this year, he had a 3.57 ERA.

It's an interesting move, given that Criswell got a fully guaranteed $800,000 contract less than a month ago. He's out of minor-league options, so any team that picked him up off waivers would have to assume full responsibility for the money and keep him on the big-league roster if they wanted to guarantee he'd stick around.

Obviously, that money is negligible, so if a team wants him, they might grab him. There's also the possibility of a trade before the waiver process concludes, in which case the Red Sox would be shipping that contract to his new team of their own accord.

If Criswell does clear waivers, he could accept an outright assignment to Triple-A or elect free agency. The fact that he has a guaranteed salary means there's a decent chance he stays in the Boston organization.

However, the major takeaway here is that Criswell was already facing long odds to make an impact on this Red Sox season, and with Oviedo's arrival, those odds shrank to within spitting distance of zero. As long as he remains in the organization, though, one never knows what might happen.

More MLB: Red Sox-Pirates Trade Explained: Why Boston Gave Up No. 3 Prospect For Johan Oviedo