Mets Claim Gabriel Arias

The Mets have claimed infielder Gabriel Arias off waivers from the Guardians, per announcements from both clubs. Cleveland designated him for assignment earlier this week. New York had a couple of 40-man vacancies due to their recent deadline dealings. Arias is out of options and will need an active roster spot once he reports to the club.

Arias, 26, was once a notable prospect but he hasn’t been able to prove much in the majors leagues yet. The Guardians have put him into 362 games over the past five years and sent him to the plate 1,168 times. He hit 30 home runs in that time. His 6.5% walk rate is a couple of ticks below par. His 34.3% strikeout rate is more than ten points higher than average. He has a .219/.275/.359 batting line and 77 wRC+, indicating he has been 23% below average as a hitter on the whole.

A right-handed hitter, Arias has reverse splits in his career. He has a .171/.224/.295 line and 42 wRC+ against lefties. His work against righties has been better but still subpar, with a .243/.301/.392 line and 94 wRC+.

Defensively, Arias certainly provides versatility. He has experience at every position on the diamond outside of the battery. He has spent most of his time at shortstop, with almost 1,484 innings there. He also has 572 1/3 innings at third, 261 1/3 at second and 181 2/3 at first. His outfield work has been more limited, with 173 total innings, most of those in right field.

The lack of success has led to him exhausting his option years and getting nudged off the Cleveland roster. The Mets are playing out the string on a lost season. They just traded away a number of players and therefore have lots of roster space to work with. Now that they have grabbed Arias, they can put him on their bench and see how it goes. If he has a late-career breakout, he’s controllable for another three seasons. Arias has surpassed three years of service time and will therefore qualify for arbitration after this season. He’s a clear non-tender candidate based on his numbers so far.