Michael Arias

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #27 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High.
  
  Track Record: The Blue Jays signed Arias as a shortstop in 2018 but released him before he ever played in a game. The Cubs signed him and converted him to a pitcher. Arias hinted at rotation upside across 23 starts between High-A and Double-A in 2023, but Chicago moved him to a multi-inning relief role in 2024. He spent the majority of 2024 with Triple-A Iowa and struggled mightily with his command, walking 19.6% of batters he faced.
  
  Scouting Report: Arias is an undersized righthander with a slingy low three-quarters arm slot and an up-tempo operation. His fast, whippy arm and crossfire finish creates deception on all of his pitches, particularly his slider. Arias mixes three pitches in his mid-90s two-seam fastball with more run than sink, a low-80s short sweeper and a mid-80s changeup with dynamic drop and heavy armside run. All of Arias’ pitches have plenty of movement—at times they move too much—and he struggles to land his fastball and locate it away from hitters’ hot zones. As a result, he walked plenty of batters and his heater was hit hard once it found the zone.
  
  The Future: Arias was dealt from the Cubs to the Yankees on Jan. 15 for cash considerations and added him to the 40-man roster.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 30.
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #19 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: The Blue Jays signed Arias as a shortstop for $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, but they released him before he ever played a professional game. The Cubs signed him in 2021, converted him to pitching and watched him flourish. Arias played his first full season in 2023 across the Class A levels and logged a 4.09 ERA in 22 starts while flashing some of the best stuff in the organization. He struck out 110 batters in only 81.1 innings and started a combined no-hitter on July 6.
  
  Scouting Report: Arias is a lean, athletic righthander with tremendous arm strength. His two-seam fastball sits 95-96 mph and touches 98 with heavy sink out of a low arm slot and release point. Hitters struggle to square his fastball up with its velocity and movement, and it has a chance to be a plus-plus pitch as Arias gets stronger and throws even harder. Arias complements his two-seamer with an above-average, 87-90 mph changeup with late dive that he sells well to get swings and misses. His third pitch is an 83-86 mph, short slider that plays against righthanded hitters and has above-average potential. Arias keeps the ball on the ground and overwhelms hitters when he’s in the strike zone, but his control is below-average and his arm slot creates concern about the long-term health of his elbow.
  
  The Future: Arias is still relatively new to pitching and could improve his control enough to remain a starter. If not, he has the stuff to be a high-leverage reliever.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 70 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 40