Red Sox Likely Can't Bring Back Pitcher Let Go by Mets in Freddy Peralta Deal

A rough offseason for the crafty righty...

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

The Boston Red Sox weren't involved in the biggest trade of the Major League Baseball offseason thus far, but one of their former players was.

On Wednesday night, the New York Mets acquired two-time All-Star starting pitcher Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a four-player trade, with the Mets acquiring two players on the 40-man roster to the Brewers' one.

That meant someone on the Mets had to be designated for assignment, and it turned out to be a player who suffered the same fate at the hands of the Red Sox last month.

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Cooper Criswell back on waivers

According to his official roster page, right-hander Cooper Criswell was designated for assignment by the Mets on Wednesday night. The two-year Red Sox right-hander went to New York in a waiver claim on Dec. 5, following the Red Sox's trade to acquire 40-man roster arms Johan Oviedo and Tyler Samaniego.

Boston had originally given Criswell an $800,000 guaranteed salary as a means of keeping him from hitting free agency to begin the offseason.

But they weren't able to prevent him from hitting waivers, and now that they've added even more pitching to their 40-man roster, it's hard to imagine that they'll claim him off waivers and cut ties with someone who was already around when they previously chose him as the odd man out.

Now, if Criswell clears waivers and is willing to come back to the organization on a non-roster invite for spring training, that's a different story. The Red Sox clearly like having him as an insurance policy at Triple-A, and the course of a 162-game season usually opens a path to pitchers like him making at least an appearance or two in the big leagues.

Criswell is a good swingman type who teams love to have in the organization, and it would surprise no one if he were claimed off waivers for the second time this offseason. Even if he's not, it would make sense for another team to offer him an opportunity to compete for a big-league roster spot in spring training over the pitching-rich Red Sox.

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