Pitcher Jesse Chavez is retiring after 18 major-league seasons. The right-handed reliever was designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves last week for the third time this season. After clearing waivers, he opted for free agency and subsequently decided to retire.
Chavez, who will turn 42 on Aug. 21, pitched for nine teams during his MLB career. That includes three stints with the Braves, for whom he played the past four seasons. He compiled a career 4.27 ERA in 657 appearances (1,142 innings) while averaging 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
In his final season with Atlanta, Chavez had a 9.00 ERA in four appearances, allowing 8 runs, 14 hits (four of them home runs) and 5 walks in eight innings.
Chavez’s claim to fame might ultimately be that he was the most traded player in MLB history. The bespectacled reliever was dealt 10 times during his career. His transactions page on Baseball-Reference is nearly a novel. The last of those trades was in 2022, when he was one of two players the Braves dealt to the Los Angeles Angels for Raisel Iglesias.
Chavez announced his retirement Thursday on “Foul Territory.” He said he hasn’t picked up a baseball since his last game, which was July 13 against the St. Louis Cardinals. In that one, he allowed four runs and six hits in two innings.
“As of now, I don’t think we’re gonna keep going,” Chavez said. “This is it. Time to turn the page, focus on the next chapter in life and go help all the young kids, all the stuff that I did so that they don’t have to take two steps backwards and take those three steps forward.”
Chavez was drafted in the 39th round by the Chicago Cubs in 2001 but opted to pitch in college. He was selected the following year by the Texas Rangers in the 42nd round and was traded for the first time to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2006. He made his MLB debut two years later.
The list of teams Chavez played for and in which seasons is as follows:
Pittsburgh Pirates (2008-09)
Atlanta Braves (2010, 2021, 2022-25)
Kansas City Royals (2010-11)
Toronto Blue Jays (2012)
Oakland Athletics (2012-15)
Los Angeles Dodgers (2016)
Los Angeles Angels (2017, 2022)
Chicago Cubs (2018, 2022)
Texas Rangers (2018-2020)
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