This overlooked Yankees pitching prospect has a wide open path at spring training

Like any club, the New York Yankees will have their fair share of roster battles this offseason. With Ryan Weathers ranking as the highest profile addition to the pitching staff, we could see more competition than usual, especially among the relief corps.

The Yankees replaced Devin Williams and Luke Weaver with Cade Winquest and Angel Chivilli. The former has never pitched above Double-A. The latter owns a career 6.18 ERA. To say that neither inspires confidence is an understatement.

Then you have Jake Bird, who has been part of Matt Blake's hype campaign, but has options remaining and was quickly demoted as he imploded following his acquisition at the trade deadline last year. Throw in the prospect of Ryan Yarbrough being needed in the rotation and the general blah-ness that is Paul Blackburn, and things in the bullpen are very unsettled.

That could mean an under-the-radar pitching prospect has an open lane with a strong spring training performance, and Michael Arias could be that guy.

Live-armed Yankees prospect Michael Arias could force his way into the club's plans during spring training

Arias looked like a real steal when the Chicago Cubs surprisingly DFA'd the right-hander last winter, leading the Yankees to pounce. The product of the Dominican Republic originally signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as a shortstop in 2018, but never received a single at-bat. He wouldn't surface in the pro ranks until 2021, when the Cubs took a flyer on him as a pitcher.

He had a breakout 2023 campaign and in 2024 became a full-time reliever. The 24-year-old has fantastic stuff, with a three-pitch mix that features a running, mid-to-high 90s sinker, an absolutely devastating changeup, and a whiff-inducing frisbee slider. However, Arias has been a victim of his own electricity, with his pitches possessing so much movement that he has a difficult time controlling them.

The 2024 season saw the worst of that on display, as Arias split time between Double-A and Triple-A, posting a combined 16.8% walk rate. That caused him to lose some of his luster, with MLB Pipeline banishing him from the Yankees' top 30 prospects list once he landed with New York.

Not all were down on him, though. FanGraphs ranked him as New York's 19th-best prospect on their updated 2025 list.

The youngster's 2025 campaign was cut short by injury, and he threw 29 2/3 innings in total with 21 coming at Somerset. Still, he posted a combined 2.73 ERA with a more manageable but still high 12.8% walk rate. The Yankees cut him loose earlier this offseason in order to free up a 40-man roster spot, but quickly scrambled to re-sign him.

His starter's background and extensive repertoire give him the ability to attack both righties and lefties while turning over a lineup, giving him multi-inning flexibility. As a reliever, the command is a concern, but not as grave as it would be as a starter.

A strong showing in Tampa this spring could launch him into the opening day bullpen mix, and if he figures out how to truly harness his tantalizing stuff, he could become an impact reliever who can go more than just one frame.

Like most overlooked youngsters, he faces an uphill battle, but if he can impress, he'll have an open runway to crash the Opening Day roster.