One of the cult heroes from the 2021 World Series-winning squad finally rides off into the sunset
On July 13, Jesse Chavez made his fourth appearance of the season for the Atlanta Braves, pitched two innings, gave up four runs and was designated for assignment shortly afterwards. It wasn’t the first time that it had happened to Chavez this season (and not even the second time, either) but I think none of us figured that this one would be the last one — rough outing aside.
As it turns out, that outing in St. Louis was, in fact, the last go-around for ol’ Uncle Jesse. This afternoon on Foul Territory, the 41-year-old journeyman reliever announced his retirement from the game of baseball. 17 years after making his big league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008, Chavez’s big league career has officially come to an end.
The always inspirational Jesse Chavez told @FoulTerritoryTV his goals for a coaching career as he announced the end of his playing days today.#Braves or any MLB would be lucky to have him. pic.twitter.com/KkXQnnVVF8
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) July 24, 2025
Chavez finishes his career with a 4.27 ERA and a 4.24 FIP over 657 appearances across 18 seasons from 2008 until today. He played for nine different teams and will go down in history as the most traded player in MLB history, as he was involved in 11 different trades over the course of his career. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers all the way back in 2002 and while he did eventually make his way to Arlington to play for the Rangers, the team he ended up spending the most time with is our Atlanta Braves.
Jesse Chavez made his first appearance with Atlanta all the way back in 2010 during his age-26 season and he didn’t come back until 2021 when he was in his age-37 season. He played a decent-sized role in that 2021 bullpen and became popular here with the fanbase as he helped push the Braves to their second World Series title in Atlanta. Despite the fact that Chavez bounced around a bunch of teams during the period from 2021 until his retirement, it was evident that the Braves valued his contributions to the team and were always one call away from bringing him in at any given moment.
All told, from 2021-2025 Chavez made 162 appearances and pitched 192.2 innings for the Braves, where he recored a 2.80 ERA and a 3.54 FIP in an Atlanta uniform. He even recorded a save while he was here!
While nobody would ever say that Jesse Chavez was consistently dominant or one of the elite pitchers in baseball, there’s a reason why someone like him would stick around for so long. He provided value at every stop he made and he especially did so during his time in Atlanta — so much so that he managed to connect with the fanbase and organization here in a way that was unique to other stops that he made during his career.
I’d like to personally extend my gratitude for the good times that he helped provide during the past and I wish Jesse Chavez the best of luck in his future endeavors. Here’s hoping that he finds success as he embarks on a new (and fitting) path as a coach!