3 Cubs relievers fighting for a spot in the bullpen mix

3 Cubs relievers fighting for a bullpen spot – #2: Jesse Chavez

Signed to a minor league deal after the lockout mercifully ended, Jesse Chavez is ready to begin his second tenure with the Cubs. If this stint is anything like his last in Chicago, Cubs fans are in for a real treat.

Recently, I wrote up a check-in on former Cubs relievers predictions piece that included Chavez, who I believed the Cubs should go after in the reliever market. Shortly thereafter, Chavez was inked. Though the most successful stint of his career came in 2018 with the Cubs, where he pitched an incredible 39 innings to the tune of a dazzling 1.15 ERA, Chavez actually had the next best stretch of his career just last year with the Atlanta Braves after being called up in June.

In 2021, Chavez went off and posted a career-refreshing 2.14 ERA in 33 2/3 innings with the Braves. Though he has thus far struggled with a very small four-inning sample size this spring, he clearly has enough left in the tank to keep it going. He doesn’t need a career year on the North Side again to be effective. He could even regress from last year and still have the potential to be a huge pick-up. As time goes on, it will be interesting to see how the Cubs utilize Chavez and his services.