The New York Mets have reportedly claimed Cleveland Guardians infielder Gabriel Arias off waivers, per team announcements. Arias (age 26) has hit for a .244 batting average this season with 5 home runs, 11 RBI’s, and a .670 OPS. Arias has played all over the infield, having stints at shortstop, third base, and first base. He’s currently listed as a third baseman, but that was during a period in which Jose Ramirez was dealing with a wrist injury and, most recently, wrist inflammation a few days ago that’s sidelined him.
Arias was the Guardians’ third-best prospect back in 2022, according to MLB prospect rankings. He was a top 100 prospect in baseball (ranked 73rd) according to MLB.com at this time back in 2022 as well. However, Arias, through parts of five seasons with the Guardians, has struggled to find consistency. He has a career .219 batting average with just a .635 OPS in 362 big league games dating back to 2022. The one skill set Arias does, however, is strong defense.
Arias Skillset Is Being Good Defender
According to Baseball Savant, Arias ranked in the 83rd percentile with a positive 3 OAA (outs above average) in 2025. He also has really good arm strength, with an average of 92.5 mph throwing across the diamond in 2025, putting him in the 94th percentile in 2025, per Baseball Savant. His arm strength and range have dipped slightly in 2026, where he ranks in the 85th percentile for arm strength (89.9 mph), but is still regarded as a well-above-average defender who has experience at multiple different positions across the infield for the Cleveland Guardians, per Baseball Savant.
For the Mets, this is a low-risk, potentially high-reward upside flyer on a player who could use a change of scenery as a former top prospect. Arias has not found any consistency with the bat offensively. Still, if he can find consistency with a change of scenery in New York, along with the defensive skill set, then this could be a sneaky good pickup potentially for the New York Mets. The Mets’ season has been an utter disaster, with a 50-66 record and in last place in the NL East, which saw them trading multiple players at the deadline, including Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, Tyrone Taylor, AJ Minter, and Hunter Brazoban.
Mets Building For The Future Due To Disasterous 2026 Season
This is a year where the Mets are trying to rebuild for the future. However, that wasn’t the original expectation heading into this year when they brought in the likes of Peralta, Bichette, Semien, and Polanco. At the very least, Arias is a defensive upgrade for the Mets, who’ve had issues defensively this year both in the infield and outfield. Whether this move has any impact now or in the future remains to be seen. Still, it’s just one of many interesting moves within the coming days, as contending teams clear space, and other teams take a flyer on players through waiver wire claims post-trade deadline and free agent/minor league deals.
As for the Guardians, it was a necessary parting of ways, not just because it didn’t work out for both sides, but because Cleveland is calling up their second-best prospect, switch-hitting middle infielder Angel Genao, who, ironically, reportedly grew up a big fan of current Mets shortstop and former Cleveland franchise player Francisco Lindor, per Guardians beat writer Tim Stebbins of MLB.com.
Mets Claim Former Cleveland Top Infield Prospect Off Waivers