Cubs bringing back a familiar face in veteran Jesse Chavez

Although the Chicago Cubs are yet to make a major free agent signing, Jed Hoyer is adding to his club this weekend. After bringing in defensive standout Andrelton Simmons, the Cubs are reuniting with veteran reliever Jesse Chavez on a minor league deal in an effort to shore up the bullpen.

Chavez returns to Chicago after a bounceback year in Atlanta which saw him put up a 2.14 ERA, the second-best mark of his career. His very best stretch, of course, came with Chicago in 2018 when he put up a 1.15 ERA in 39 innings of work.

Despite being 38 years old, the right-hander showed that he still has plenty left in the tank last year with the World Series champion Braves. After joining the team in June, he became a go-to guy for manager Brian Snitker. No matter how you split his numbers: home v. away, lefties v. righties, there are virtually no differences. He came in, regardless of matchup or situation, and got the job done.

Over the course of his 14-year career, Chavez has spent time with nine different big league teams. He will be a welcomed sight as he was a fan favorite on the North Side during his last stint with the club. He figures to slot in toward the back end of the rotation after the Cubs were dealt a tough blow after learning Codi Heuer will miss the entire season recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Chavez signing alone isn’t enough to remedy this bullpen, but it’s a decent place to start – and a cost-effective one, at that.

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Last week, I had Chavez pegged to be on the Cubs’ radar once the lockout ended in a piece that also mentioned both Ryan Tepera and Andrew Chafin. News on Tepera has been relatively quiet to this point, but Chafin is drawing interest from multiple teams – and could wind up getting a deal that’s too rich for the Cubs, despite their glaring need for left-handed relievers.