The Seattle Mariners opened up the Cactus League schedule with a 7-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday afternoon at the Peoria Sports Complex. Michael Arroyo and Leo Rivas stole the show offensively, each hitting home runs, but on the mound the biggest star was veteran right-hander Cooper Criswell.

The 29-year-old Georgia native threw two scoreless innings, striking out three and giving up just one hit. He fanned both Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado, no small feat, using a solid and diversified pitch mix.

In 28 pitches, Criswell threw nine sinkers, seven changeups, seven cutters and five sweepers, keeping hitters off balance. He tossed 21 strikes in those 28 pitches (75 percent).

A five-year veteran of the Los Angeles Angels, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox, Criswell is now 29 years old. He's gone 8-7 with a 4.48 ERA lifetime. His most productive year was with Boston in 2024, as he went 6-5 with a 4.08 ERA in 26 appearances. 

There's a few interesting dynamics going on with Criswell, so let's explain:

1) He's out of minor league options, meaning he has to stay on the major league roster or be designated for assignment. If he's DFA'd, he risks being lost to another team.

2) As a result, the Mariners may want to keep him on the major league roster. At that point, he can serve as a long reliever in the bullpen who also has the ability to spot start or replace a starter if someone is injured.

3) Criswell signed a deal for $800,000 heading into this season. That is slightly more than the league minimum of $780,000. So: If Criswell is DFA'd by the Mariners, perhaps another team will balk at the extra $20,000 and allow him to slide through waivers so the Mariners can keep him.

If he makes it through waivers, Criswell can elect free agency, but he forfeits that extra money. Its a complex structure that is fully explained here, but bottom line, if Criswell is DFA'd and passes through waivers, he might be more likely to stay in the Seattle system in order to retain the extra money. That would allow the Mariners to stash him in the organization and keep him for a time they really need his services.

He spoke with Mariners Roundtable on Friday morning about his roster situation and being out of options. He says he tries not to worry about it.

Yeah, obviously ​I ​try ​not ​to ​think ​about ​that ​as ​most ​as ​I ​can ​and ​just ​come ​in ​each ​and ​every ​day ​and ​try ​to get one percent ​better. ​Ultimately, ​everything's ​going ​to ​take ​care ​of ​itself ​at ​the ​end ​of ​camp ​and, ​yeah, ​just ​try ​not ​to ​think ​about ​it ​too ​much ​and ​come ​in ​and ​enjoy ​each ​and ​every ​day, ​get ​to ​know ​the ​guys ​and ​go ​from ​there.

Raleigh caught Criswell in Friday's outing and gave him praise after the fact:

Yeah, I mean, he threw really, really well today. I thought all the guys I caught threw pretty well. Had some bad luck mixed in there. But Criswell, the ball just bottoms out there. I mean, that changeup, the sinker, super heavy, super down. Not a lot of run like with a lot of our guys. That's more vertical drop rather than horizontal. So he looks really good. You know, he struck two guys out on two right-on-right change ups. And it was very impressive. He threw really well. And anytime you can get a guy who has length like that in the bullpen, they can definitely help you out. Swing games, spot starts, things like that, need to eat some innings. It's always good to have somebody like that in your bullpen.

The Mariners are back in action on Saturday afternoon against the San Francisco Giants at 12:10 p.m. PT. 

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