Michael

Arias

Arias was acquired by the Yankees from the Cubs in January, but stood little shot of making the Yankees out of Florida camp. The 23-year-old has quality stuff, but his control issues make him unlikely to be more than organizational depth in the coming years.

The 23-year-old right-hander had been designated for assignment by the Cubs earlier in the week, so they were content to flip him for anything that they could get. Arias spent the majority of the 2024 season at Triple-A Iowa where he registered a 5.45 ERA, cringe-inducing 2.09 WHIP and a 46/36 K/BB ratio across 36 1/3 innings. He’ll add bullpen depth for the Yankees but will need to improve his command substantially before getting an opportunity at the big league level.

The Cubs needed a spot on the 40-man roster for Colin Rea, who they signed over the weekend, so Arias was let go. The 23-year-old has yet to make his MLB debut and spent most of 2024 in Triple-A, where he had a 2.09 WHIP in 36.1 innings. Including his 24 innings at Double-A in 2024, Arias posted a 4.77 ERA and 1.86 WHIP but 72 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings. His raw stuff is solid, and he has a career 4.25 ERA in 97 minor-league appearances (32 starts), so a few teams, including the Cubs, will likely be looking to sign him to a minor-league deal once he clears waivers.

There are a ton of notable prospects in the latest batch of cuts from Cubs camp, including Shaw, Caissie, Brown and Alcántara. However, the headliner here is Crow-Armstrong, who figured to open the season as Chicago’s starting center fielder. The 21-year-old defensive virtuoso figures to be up shortly, but his roster spot will likely go to Mike Tauchman, who is out of options this spring. Shaw and Caissie are among the top prospects in the organization and figure to make an impact for fantasy managers once they get a shot, which could happen in a few months.

On the eve of his 22nd birthday, Arias gets added to the Cubs’ 40-man roster which protects him from being plucked in the Rule 5 Draft. Arias made 22 starts between Single-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend in 2023 — going 1-10 with a 4.09 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 110/51 K/BB ratio over 81 1/3 innings. He’s still likely a couple of years away from making an impact at the big league level.