Former Guardians top prospect's laughable stint with Mets went about exactly as expected

When the New York Mets claimed Gabriel Arias off waivers 10 days ago, we wrote that the signing was about how Arias could impact the Mets’ chances of winning in 2027 as much as it was about what he could do in 2026. 

Turns out we were wrong. Very wrong, in fact. 

Earlier today, the Mets designated Arias for assignment after two uninspiring games to make room for Christoper Morel. 

That DFA is another fall from grace for Arias, who went from Guardians roster staple to journeyman in the manner of two weeks, as whatever team ends up claiming him off waivers will be his third team in three weeks. 

Gabriel Arias is back in the baseball wilderness 

Arias ended up going 0-for-5 with one strikeout across that time with the Mets while appearing at shortstop and first base.

That versatility helped him hold his roster spot with the Guardians for so long, and was a big reason why it seemed like the Mets were going to hold onto him until they were ready to compete again in 2027. 

But that versatility ended up not being enough to keep him with the Mets, who are turning to Morel to fill their right-handed hitting infield hole on their roster.

Although Arias has a ton of potential inside his 6-foot-1 frame, his MLB career has largely been derailed due to his extreme strikeout rate (41.7%) and paltry walk rate (5%).

Even if he only struck out once during his time with the Mets, it was emblematic of his big league struggles since he went down swinging on a fastball up in the zone against a Bubba Chandler sinker that was up in the zone. 

Now every team in baseball will have a chance to decide to roll the dice on the 26-year-old. And chances are someone will give his ability to play every infield position, his power and the fact he comes with three more years of team control via arbitration. 

Waiver orders go in reverse order by record, so Arias went unclaimed by the Rockies, Giants Angels and Athletics in his first foray during waivers.

He’ll likely go unclaimed by those teams again, so now we’ll get a chance to see if any contender decides he’s worth taking up a roster spot. 

One logical option could be the Blue Jays, who just lost Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the concussion injured list. Arias could fill their hole at first base while moving around the infield alongside former Guardians Ernie Clement. 

If he goes unclaimed he’ll have to stick with the Mets since he doesn’t have enough service time to reject a minor league assignment. At least he’s no longer the Guardians’ problem. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow