The New York Yankees have announced that they’ve acquired right-handed reliever Michael Arias from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for cash considerations. The 23-year-old has an interesting arsenal with a power sinker that sits at 96.7 MPH and while it doesn’t have a lot of vertical or horizontal movement due to the inefficient spin he generates on the pitch, his upside thanks to an abnormal release point could make him an effective reliever in the big leagues. A projectable right-hander with command issues but a ton of interesting data points, he could be a fun pick-up.
Since the return is cash considerations, the team will not be moving any players in the deal, and with Arias being DFA’d back in January, New York will have to place him on their 40-man roster but can keep him in Triple-A.
Michael Arias Joins Yankees in Trade With the Cubs
The Yankees are getting an interesting arm in Michael Arias, who came up through the Minor Leagues as a wild starter before settling into a role as a reliever in the upper levels of pro ball. Entering just his age-23 season, the right-hander has a lively arm that Sam Briend and Matt Blake could potentially hone into an excellent reliever. MLB Pipeline graded Arias out as the #18 prospect in the Cubs organization while FanGraphs is more aggressive, ranking him at #11.
Perhaps the funniest tidbit about Michael Arias is that he was signed as a shortstop in 2018 by the Blue Jays before converting into a pitcher in 2021 with the Cubs, which only further emphasizes just how raw of a prospect he is. The Cubs designated him for assignment last week, and clearly command was a huge reason why Chicago didn’t feel a need to keep him on their roster, despite abnormal traits that make him interesting.
What allows Arias to stand out are his unique release points, with a 5.0-foot vertical release height and a 2.2-foot horizontal release point. Pitchers with abnormal release points can generate abnormal angles with their pitches, and the Yankees have had tons of success helping pitchers with wide and low release points but poor command. Some prominent examples from last season include Luis Gil and Jake Cousins, who played huge roles in their run to the World Series.
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Last season in Double-A and Triple-A, Michael Arias struggled with his command, walking 16.8% of batters faced which resulted in him posting a 4.77 ERA between both levels. Command has been an issue for Arias throughout his time as a professional, walking 135 batters in 182 MiLB innings, but perhaps the Yankees could iron out his mechanical deficiencies to help him get more pitches in-zone and also get some more chases.
In Triple-A, batters only expanded the zone 20.6% of the time against Arias, with a big reason why stemming from his 67.5% usage of his sinker. The right-hander couldn’t reliably mix in other offerings such as a changeup, slider, or cutter throughout the season, and falling behind in counts placed more pressure on him to throw the sinker over and over again.
His sinker movement profile indicates that there’s a lot of inefficient spin which could be a product of poor wrist orientation upon release or having a poor grip/feel for the pitch. The Yankees will have their work cut out for them with Michael Arias, but he has two MiLB options and is not turning 24 until November 2025.