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Michael Arias

Yankees Acquire Michael Arias

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The Yankees announced that they have acquired right-hander Michael Arias from the Cubs in exchange for cash considerations. The latter club had designated Arias for assignment earlier this week. The Yankees have multiple 40-man vacancies and don’t need to make a corresponding move.

Arias, 23, was originally an international signing of the Blue Jays. Signed as a shortstop, he was released and then signed by the Cubs, who moved him to the mound. Arias has shown some potential as a pitcher but lack of control has been the biggest drawback, which isn’t especially surprising for a guy who has only been in this role for a few years.

Overall, Arias has thrown 182 innings across multiple levels over the past four years, allowing 4.25 earned runs per nine. His 27.7% strikeout rate in that time is a solid number, but his 16.5% walk rate is quite high.

Despite the issues, the Cubs added him to their 40-man roster in November of 2023 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. His control didn’t improve in 2024, as he tossed 60 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with a 4.77 ERA, 25.2% strikeout rate and 16.8% walk rate. When the Cubs signed Colin Rea, they bumped Arias off the roster.

For the Yankees, they have a few roster spots open, so there’s little harm in taking a flier. Arias still has a couple of options and can be kept in the minors as they try to help him harness his stuff better. Per Eric Longenhagen and Travis Ice of FanGraphs, his arsenal includes “a mid-90s sinker, a potentially plus-plus changeup, and a righty-dowsing slider.”

Cubs Designate Michael Arias For Assignment

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The Cubs announced Monday that they’ve designated right-hander Michael Arias for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to fellow right-hander Colin Rea, whose previously reported one-year deal is now official.

Arias, 23, was selected to Chicago’s 40-man roster in the 2023-24 offseason in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The infielder-turned-reliever spent the 2024 season in the upper minors, pitching to a combined 4.77 ERA in 60 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. Arias was more effective at the former than the latter, logging a 3.75 ERA in Double-A but a 5.35 mark in Triple-A.

Command was an issue for Arias at both levels, as has been the case since he moved to the mound. The hard-throwing righty sits mid-90s with his sinker but has walked a dismal 16.5% of opponents in his professional career — including 19.6% of his opponents in 36 1/3 Triple-A frames this past season.

Even with that notable flaw, Arias still landed 11th on FanGraphs’ recent ranking of the Cubs’ farm system. Eric Longenhagen and Travis Ice profiled the righty, touting a potential plus-plus changeup, a bat-missing slider and the ability to work multiple innings in relief. Arias’ location struggles — FanGraphs’ report notes that Arias “hasn’t even progressed to 40-grade control” yet — are prominent enough that the Cubs are comfortable trading him or exposing him to waivers.

While the Cubs may feel they don’t have room for him on their 40-man, Arias is a 23-year-old with a sinker up to 98 mph, a pair of average or better secondaries, and two minor league option years remaining. He seems like he’ll draw interest from another club, be it via a small trade or simply via waivers. The Cubs have five days to trade Arias. After that, he’ll need to be placed on waivers (a 48-hour process).

Cubs Add Three Players To 40-Man Roster

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The Cubs have selected left-hander Bailey Horn as well as right-handers Porter Hodge and Michael Arias to their 40-man roster, per Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. Today is the deadline for adding players to protect them from being selected in the Rule 5 draft.

Horn, 26 in January, was a fifth round pick of the White Sox in 2020 but came to the Cubs in the 2021 Ryan Tepera trade. He has since climbed his way up the minor league ladder, generally running high strikeout rates but also high walk rates. He tossed 62 innings in 2023 between Double-A and Triple-A, posting an earned run average of 4.21. He punched out 28.7% of hitters but also gave out free passes at a 12.5% clip.

Hodge, 23 in February, was a 13th-round selection of the Cubs in 2019. He had been working as a starter, with a similar profile to Horn with plenty of strikeouts and walks, though he was moved to the bullpen midway through 2023. He had a 5.59 ERA through 12 starts in the middle of June but then a 4.45 ERA as a reliever the rest of the way. Working out of the bullpen, he struck out 29.3% of batters faced but still walked 14.3%.

Arias, who turns 22 tomorrow, originally signed with the Blue Jays as a shortstop but was released in 2020. He was signed by the Cubs, who converted him to a pitcher. Like the other two names on this list, he has struggled with control but has racked up his share of punchouts. In 2023, he made 22 starts between Single-A and High-A, posting an ERA of 4.09 in 81 1/3 innings. He struck out 31.3% of guys who came to the plate but gave 14.5% a free trip to first base.

Baseball America ranks Arias the #22 prospect in the Cubs’ system, has Hodge at #30, though Horn doesn’t crack the list. The three of them will give the Cubs some optionable depth to add to the pitching staff, though each of them have work to do in harnessing their respective stuff for better results.

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