The New York Mets’ trade for pitchers Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers generated plenty of comments across the league, and the fallout continued yesterday as the Mets dealt pitcher Cooper Criswell to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash considerations. The move was reported by Darragh McDonald of MLBTradeRumors.com.
The Mets were originally going to use Criswell as a swing man on their staff, or possibly as a possible back-end starter. Criswell threw just short of 100 innings for the Boston Red Sox over 18 starts and eight relief appearances last year, and he finished with an ERA of 4.08 in that role. He isn’t considered a strikeout pitcher by any means, but he did have excellent control with a walk rate of just over 17 percent, and his ground ball rate is just over 50 percent as well.
None of those numbers helped Criswell in Boston, where he was pushed to the back of the rotation and then the depth chart as the Red Sox upgraded their rotation. The Mets claimed Criswell off waivers in December, and according to McDonald, a key part of this deal is that the Mariners likely called the Mets to let them know that Criswell likely wouldn’t make it through waivers.
Myers will almost certainly step into Criswell’s role for the Mets, and his upside is considerably greater. He’s younger at 27, and Myers had an outstanding season as a starter for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024 before injuries sidelined him and he returned to the team as a reliever last year.
The Mariners, meanwhile have a strong rotation, but their depth isn’t great. Their current depth options include pitchers like Logan Evans, Emerson Hancock and Blas Castano. Criswell will be given an opportunity to compete and separate himself from that group, but the Mariners bullpen is already crowded and they don’t have pitchers in it with a lot of minor league options.
For the Mets, this deal can be viewed as the domino effect from the Peralta deal. It allows the Mets to upgrade their bullpen or the back of their rotation with Myers, depending on how he performs, and other pieces can be filled in accordingly.
It’s not hard to guess the Mets next move. It's probably a trade involving back-end starters, with Clay Holmes, David Peterson and Sean Manaea all representing possibilities given the way they underperformed down the stretch last year. That trade could bring a left fielder or a bullpen piece, possibly both if the deal is large enough, and it would bring the Mets one step closer to completing their roster for as spring training approaches.