The Atlanta Braves have struggled with injuries all season, but they have remained competitive.
Despite losing stars Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider, Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley for extended periods, the Braves maintain a slender 1/2-game lead over the rival New York Mets for the last National League playoff slot.
The bullpen has been a crucial factor in their long-term success. The Braves, led by Raisel Iglesias, who recently retired an unbelievable 38 hitters in a row, have been securing close games late, allowing them to weather the storm of an inconsistent offense.
Good bullpens have been a trademark of Braves baseball for the past half-decade, if not the whole twenty-first century. However, in 2025, the Braves may lose one of their most consistent relievers.
On Wednesday, Will Leitch of MLB.com named Braves reliever Jesse Chavez as one of the most likely contenders to retire at the end of the 2024 season.
“There is something emotionally satisfying about a crafty reliever still hanging on into his 40s,” Leitch told reporters. “Chavez has had one of his best stretches out of the bullpen for the Braves the past couple of seasons, and he could maybe find his way back to a roster next year.”
At 41, Chavez was dominant in the first half of 2024, but his numbers have dipped as the year progressed. He still has a decent 3.34 ERA in 56 2/3 innings, with an ERA+ of 127.
Chavez has played for nine different clubs over his 17-year career, and as he’s gotten older, he appears to have discovered the fountain of youth in Atlanta. He was good there in 2021, terrible for two other teams in 2022, then returned to Atlanta later that season and immediately became prolific again.
If it has to end, Atlanta appears to be the ideal spot for Chavez to retire, especially if it results in another spectacular postseason run. But with a cunning veteran like Chavez, one should never assume it’s over until he says so.