Overview
- The Mets claimed 26‑year‑old Gabriel Arias from the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, Aug. 7, after Cleveland designated him for assignment to promote prospect Angel Genao.
- Arias has played parts of five big‑league seasons and is out of minor‑league options and arbitration‑eligible, which means he must stay on the major‑league roster or pass through waivers to be sent down.
- New York added Arias to the active roster on Saturday and optioned Eric Wagaman to Triple‑A to open the spot for the newly claimed infielder.
- Arias’s value is largely defensive: he has multi‑position experience across the infield and above‑average arm strength with top‑percentile Outs Above Average marks, while his career bat has been uneven.
- The claim is a low‑risk post‑deadline depth move that lets the Mets evaluate a controlled young player quickly and shapes near‑term roster decisions because of Arias’s option and arbitration status.