Cubs Bring Back Caleb Knight among Minor League Moves |
Cubs Bring Back Caleb Knight among Minor League Moves
By Dustin Riese Although it hasn't been as eventful of a Monday, minus the Colin Rea signing becoming official, the Chicago Cubs did make some roster moves to continue prepping for their upcoming season. The first of their moves was watching a top 20 prospect in Michael Arias get designated for assignment as the Cubs needed to clear a 40-man roster spot for Rea. There is hope that Arias will be able to clear waivers and resign with the Cubs on a Minor League deal, but given his potential and what he has shown the past two seasons, that seems highly unlikely. The second acquisition made by the Cubs was the resignation of catching prospect Caleb Knight, who has once again been added to their minor league system. The recently turned 29-year-old Knight has been a part of the Cubs roster for several seasons and was added to their 40-man roster following the conclusion of the regular season. Once, the Cubs added Matt Thaiss via a trade from the Angels. Knight was released to open a roster spot for Thaiss, who has now been traded to the White Sox. Getting him back inside the organization isn't going to blow your socks off, but it's a nice story, as Knight is beloved by the entire organization. Unlike most of the Cubs prospects, Knight is the definition of a role-player bench guy, as he tends to get into around 40 games per season. Whether in AAA, AA, or even high-A, Knight is always willing to fill the catching position, which can sometimes be a thankless job. He is not much of an offensive guy, but Knight is known for his defensive skills and ability to work with the young pitchers in the system. That alone is something that can't be taught, so adding a catcher who is not only familiar with the entire organization but knows how to work with a young staff is crucial. While Knight may be behind Carlos Perez, Mosies Ballesteros, and Pablo Aliendo on the depth chart, you have to think, should something happen to either one of those guys, that the Cubs would give him an extended look rather than sign someone off the street. In 99 at-bats in 2024, Knight hit just a .182 but did manage to connect for four homers and eight RBIs, with two of those homers coming in the same game. Knight has struggled at the plate for his career and has combined to hit .217 while connecting for 11 homers and 47 RBIs in just under 500 at-bats. The bigger surprise was seeing Arias DFAd to make room for Rea as he was one of the more talked about pitching prospects last season. A former starter turned reliever, Arias cemented himself in the Cubs top-30 prospect range and checked in at No. 18 when the season was over. Known for a lively fastball that sits around 97 MPH and can touch 99, Arias had the stuff to be one of the better pitchers in the system, but his lack of command made him a liability at times. To go with his fastball came an 89 MPH slider that wasn't used as often as you would think and an 86 MPH change that got the nickname of a killer change-up. After struggling as a starter in 2022 and 2023, the Cubs decided to move him to a full-time reliever in 2024, which seemed a good idea then. Given his stuff and what he could do in short spurts, you had to think about him becoming a future closer, which is something the team could use. His 25.2 K% mixed with an impressive 40.4% ground ball rate is all you can ask for from any reliever, but a near 17% walk rate shows how bad his command struggles were. That is a significant reason why his ERA was up around 4.8, and he has been hovering around that area most of his career. However, with so many other pitching options remaining in the system, especially those viewed as reliever-only options, getting rid of Arias made a ton of sense, even though it wasn't an easy decision. Should he clear waivers, don't be shocked if the Cubs bring him back on a minor league deal, as they have loved his overall makeup for quite some time. https://www.milb.com/video/caleb-knight-s-walk-off-homer?t=playerid-676332 https://www.milb.com/video/caleb-knight-s-two-homer-game?t=playerid-676332 https://www.milb.com/video/michael-arias-third-strikeout-in-relief?t=playerid-683522
