Cubs usage of Gabriel Arias shines an even more frustrating light on his tenure with Guardians

On Sunday, Gabriel Arias entered the Cubs’ loss to the Marlins by pinch-hitting for Nico Hoerner and picked up a 99 miles per hour single up the middle. 

Although his hit didn’t end up having an impact in the Cubs’ blowout loss, it gave Arias three hits in his seven at-bats with the Cubs. Not a ton of experience obviously, but still some solid results. 

When Arias was with the Guardians, there were times where he needed just two games to rack up seven at-bats. But it’s been the exact opposite with the Cubs, as that at-bat against the Marlins came nearly two and a half ways after the Cubs claimed him on waivers. 

While it seems clear the Cubs value Arias’ skillset, it also seems clear they’re limiting his big league impact. That’s right: a player who got 127 at-bats with the Guardians this year and more than 1,000 at-bats in his time with Cleveland has found his niche as the last man on the roster. 

The Cubs have been managing Gabriel Arias' playing time

The Guardians initially acquired Arias in 2020 as a part of their trade fleece with the Padres, and he made his eventual big league debut in 2022 and opened some eyes with his strong exit velocity numbers and defensive versatility. 

Those two things stayed true throughout his tenure with the Guardians, but they were often overshadowed by his extreme swing-and-miss issues combined with numerous mental lapses. For every incredible homer, there were five more moments that made you want to rip your hair out. 

Those frustrations eventually became too much for the Guardians to ignore, which is why they made the long-awaited decision to designate him for assignment midway through June. He was claimed by the Mets but only appeared in two games for them before being designated for assignment again. 

Although he may not have lasted long enough in New York to memorize any of the subway routes to Citi Field, it was clear that they viewed him as a part-time player. 

The Cubs have doubled down on that, as all but one of his appearances with the Cubs has come as a late-game pinch-hitter or defensive substitution. 

It’s worth noting both the Mets and Cubs have a different perspective on Arias compared to the Guardians. Part of the reason why the Guardians gave Arias such a long leash is because they knew that once they let him go he wasn’t going to come back.

They weren’t going to give up on him until they were sure they had sucked all the talent out of him. The Mets and Cubs don’t have to worry about that. 

The start of Arias’ tenure with the Cubs makes it seem like he's destined for a non-tender in the offseason in the hopes that he’ll re-sign with them on a minor league contract. 

Arias may no longer be the Guardians' problem, but his tenure with the Cubs shows they made him more of a problem than he needed to be.

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