Former Cubs Draftee, RP Jesse Chavez Announces Retirement

Righty reliever Jesse Chavez announced his retirement Thursday on Foul Territory, ending a storied career that included multiple stints with several different teams, including two different tours of duty with the Cubs. Originally selected by the Cubs in the 39th round of the 2001 draft, Chavez opted to attend Riverside City College for a year. He was then taken by the Rangers in the 42nd round and debuted six years later.

“I don’t think we’re gonna keep going,” Chavez explained. “I think 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 they don’t have to take two steps backwards and take those three steps forward.”

He appeared in four games with the Braves this season, but was recently designated for assignment and elected free agency. Though his fastball was still sitting around 90 mph, his stuff simply wasn’t sharp enough to stick on a roster. And so he chose to hang up his spikes a little less than a month shy of his 42nd birthday. He walks away with 1,142 big league innings pitched over 657 appearances with nine different teams. He was also traded an MLB record 10 times.

Chavez always came across as a really good dude, and he became a fan favorite in Chicago despite pitching only 32 games with the Cubs in 2018 and three in 2022. All the best on whatever’s next.