When the Boston Red Sox lost Cooper Criswell to the New York Mets over the offseason, it didn't register as much more than transaction-log fodder — he lost his place on the 40-man roster after the team signed Ranger Suárez in free agency.
When the Mets subsequently lost him on waivers to the Seattle Mariners, it sounded even fewer alarm bells. A journeyman pitcher shedding multiple jerseys in one offseason isn't exactly a novel concept.
What fools we all were to ignore the warning signs. Criswell is now fully entrenched as one of the Mariners' highest-leverage relief options, pitching both as a long reliever and a set-up for manager Dan Wilson.
Wouldn't an arm like that look rather good in Boston right about now?
Cooper Criswell's breakout in Seattle adds another offseason regret to Red Sox's pile
In fairness to the Red Sox, the relief corps hasn't been a total bust this year. The unit ranks 12th in the league in ERA (3.72), as well as 13th in strikeout rate (23.5%) and sixth in opponent batting average (.217) (as of April 24). If you're trying to divvy up blame for the team's slow start, don't place too much of it on the bullpen.
Still, the group as a whole ranks in the bottom-third of the league in both FIP (4.46) and fWAR (0.0). A replacement-level bullpen isn't exactly what the front office had in mind when keeping most of last year's core intact.
Losing Criswell appears to have been especially inopportune under those circumstances. The 29-year-old right-hander has impressed everyone in Seattle, pitching to a 1.64 ERA while covering 11 innings. He hasn't pitched in a multi-inning role nearly as frequently as he did in Boston, but he remains capable of providing length out of the bullpen.
Like the Red Sox, he appears to be benefitting from some good luck, as his 4.69 FIP has given way to -0.1 fWAR worth of production, according to FanGraphs. That feels like a rather pessimistic take on his success this season, though, seeing as he's been one of the best pitchers in the league at generating groundballs and coaxing hitters to chase pitches outside the zone.
Criswell had his ups and downs with the Sox, though there was never a question of his upside. He frequently covered key innings when the team down an arm in the rotation or bullpen, providing the kind of flexibility mangers dream of.
Considering the inconsistency the Red Sox have gotten from their non-Aroldis Chapman/Garrett Whitlock contingent in the bullpen this year, it's safe to say they'd take Criswell back if they could.
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