Major League Baseball teams continue to make spring training cuts with Opening Day just several days away.
According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Texas Rangers released former Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Jesse Chavez on Friday.
Chavez, 41, is now a free agent after signing a minor league contract with the Rangers in January. The 2021 Atlanta Braves World Series champion struggled mightily with the Rangers in spring training, posting a poor 9.45 ERA with 10 hits allowed in 6.2 innings.
The 17-year MLB veteran first pitched for the Cubs in 2018 and returned to the organization for three games in 2022. Chavez made 32 appearances out of the bullpen for the Cubs in 2018 and allowed just five earned runs in 39 innings with four saves.
Given his age and recent poor performance on the mound, the Cubs might avoid a possible reunion with Chavez. FanGraphs lists the Cubs' top bullpen options as Ryan Pressly, Porter Hodge, Ryan Brasier, Tyson Miller, Nate Pearson, Caleb Thielbar, Julian Merryweather, and Ben Brown.
Righty Javier Assad, currently on the 15-day injured list with a strained oblique, is a potential swingman option for the Cubs. However, they used him solely as a starting pitcher in 2024, as he made 29 starts in 29 appearances.
The Cubs selected Chavez in the 39th round of the 2001 MLB June Amateur Draft, but he instead opted to play college baseball at Riverside City College in Riverside, California.
Coincidentally, one year later, the Rangers took Chavez in the 42nd round of the 2002 MLB Draft. The righty has been traded a record 11 times in his career.
