The Boston Red Sox made big moves last offseason, but they came up short of the World Series this year. In fact, they finished in third place in the American League East and were bounced in the wild card round by the New York Yankees.
As a result, the Red Sox came into this offseason with some big moves to be made. They swung a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals to acquire Sonny Gray earlier this winter. On Thursday night, the Red Sox reportedly agreed to a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates that would bring Johan Oviedo, Tyler Samaniego, and Adonys Guzman to Boston.
But soon after the trade, they made another roster move.
The Red Sox designated reliever Cooper Criswell for assignment, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.
Criswell has spent the last two seasons with the Red Sox. He’s worked as a bit of a swingman, starting 18 games last season while making a majority of his appearances out of the bullpen this year.
The Red Sox likely hope they can bring him back if he clears waivers, but that might not be the most likely outcome. The five-year veteran pitcher seems likely to be added by another team in the coming days. He has enough talent to intrigue some teams around the league.
