The New York Mets claimed infielder Gabriel Arias off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, bringing the 26-year-old to New York shortly after the Mets swept Cleveland. The Guardians designated Arias for assignment earlier this week after deciding to promote infielder Angel Genao from Columbus.
Arias spent parts of five seasons with Cleveland after joining the organization in the 2020 trade that sent Mike Clevinger from the Guardians to the San Diego Padres. He made his MLB debut in 2022 and appeared in 362 games for Cleveland, recording 30 home runs, 53 doubles, four triples and 111 RBI.
This season, Arias appeared in 42 games and hit .244/.284/.386 with five home runs, 11 RBI and four stolen bases. He had 57 strikeouts in 127 at-bats, following 162 strikeouts in 432 at-bats in 2025. His final game with the Guardians came on Tuesday against New York, when he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
Arias’ career batting line is .219/.275/.359 with a .635 OPS, a 76 OPS+ and a 77 wRC+. His main value comes from his defensive flexibility. During his MLB career, he has played every position except catcher and pitcher. Arias has made 174 starts at shortstop, 64 at third base, 29 at second, 16 at first, 17 in right field, two in center and one in left. He has also logged nearly 1,484 innings at shortstop, 572⅓ at third base, 261⅓ at second and 181⅔ at first.
His arm has also been a prominent defensive asset. Arias ranked in the 94th percentile in arm strength in 2025 and the 85th percentile this season.
Arias missed eight weeks in 2026 because of a left hamstring injury. He is out of minor league options and has more than three years of service time, making him arbitration-eligible after this season.
The Mets had 40-man roster vacancies following their trade-deadline moves, while Arias could potentially take Cristian Pache’s roster spot.
The New York Mets claimed infielder Gabriel Arias off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, bringing the 26-year-old to New York shortly after the Mets swept Cleveland. The Guardians designated Arias for assignment earlier this week after deciding to promote infielder Angel Genao from Columbus.
