Jesse Chavez

Chavez filled a number of roles in his first full season with Texas, functioning at various points in the campaign as a traditional starter, an opener and a reliever. He thrived in four appearances as an opener, holding opponents scoreless over 6.2 innings, but faltered with a 7.71 ERA over 23.1 frames as a starter. The right-hander wasn't particularly effective in his primary role as a reliever, either, yielding a 4.13 ERA and .277 BAA. Chavez utilizes a five-pitch arsenal, but he doesn't throw very hard -- his fastest pitch, a sinker, clocks in at around 91 mph -- which limits his strikeout ability (21.4 K% last season). Chavez developed a right elbow impingement in August that prematurely ended his campaign, but he should be ready to pitch by spring training. Nonetheless, he's unlikely to get another shot in the starting rotation and doesn't put up relief numbers worthy of a roster spot on most fantasy squads.

Chavez started 21 games in 38 appearances in 2017 but worked exclusively as a reliever in 2018. The veteran posted his best K/9 since 2012 and his best-ever marks in BB/9 and ERA while becoming one of Cubs manager Joe Maddon's most trusted bullpen arms, thanks to a May change in his arm slot that helped his velocity and release point. He experienced the standard velocity bump that comes with shifting to the bullpen, and focused on his sinker and a cutter that allowed the lowest opponents' wOBA (.175) of its class in the majors. The 35-year-old will likely maintain a similar middle-relief role after signing with the Rangers in the offseason. It's not an ideal landing spot, and Chavez still doesn't strike out enough batters to register on most draft radars without save chances, but he's very much in the mix for AL-only after his 2018 revival.

Chavez was brought in to fill out of the Angels' rotation last season, but he struggled to a 5.24 ERA across 21 starts before ultimately being shifted to a relief role at the beginning of August. He didn't fare much better out of the team's bullpen, registering a 5.84 ERA across 24.2 relief innings, though he did fan 33 batters over that stretch (12.0 K/9). Chavez benefited from pitching half of his games in pitcher-friendly Angel Stadium -- posting a 3.80 ERA -- but his 6.88 mark away from home led him to an overall ERA of 5.35 for the season. The veteran right-hander once again struggled with homers (1.8 HR/9), which is something that could get worse in a less favorable environment. Given the 34-year-old couldn't hold down a rotation spot with the pitching-starved Angels, it's hard to see him returning to a starting role in 2018 regardless of where he winds up, which likely leaves him off the fantasy radar in most formats.

The Angels bought low on Chavez to fill out their pitching staff as they try to navigate what will probably be a difficult year, giving the veteran a one-year, $5.75 million deal early in the offseason. After spending 2014 and 2015 working mostly as a starter for Oakland, Chavez didn't start a single game in 2016 between Toronto and Los Angeles. The results in the bullpen were less than encouraging. While he saw a tick up in velocity and strikeout-to-walk ratio, he still posted a 4.43 ERA and 4.49 FIP in 67 total innings. That resulted in the Dodgers leaving him off their playoff roster, and although he will get a chance to return to a starting role in Anaheim, Chavez will need to hold his own to keep a rotation spot all year. At least the spacious home park should help some with his home run issues.

After a strong 2014 campaign, Chavez lost a spring competition for the fifth spot in the A's rotation, but quickly worked his way back into the rotation by late April and ended up making 26 starts. Chavez came out of the gates strong, posting a 2.75 ERA over his first 11 starts. However, for the second year in a row, Chavez faded in the second half, throwing up a brutal 5.86 ERA over his final 15 starts before his season ended due to a rib fracture in September. Chavez struggled away from the spacious O.co Coliseum with a 4.92 road ERA that was damaged by a 66 percent strand rate. Acquired by the Blue Jays during the offseason, Chavez will be difficult to use in his home starts with Toronto, but he may end up in a similar swingman role if he fails to secure a starting job this spring.

Chavez was inserted into the rotation to begin the season for the A's due to injuries to a few of the team's other pitchers. He responded to the role exceptionally well, putting up a 3.44 ERA in 21 starts with nearly a strikeout per inning (8.5 K/9). After the A's acquired upgrades for the rotation prior to the trade deadline, Chavez was moved to the bullpen to minimize his workload and to accommodate Jon Lester. Chavez was effective in the move to the bullpen, compiling a 3.54 ERA over 20.1 relief innings. His role to begin 2015 will likely depend on the health of A.J. Griffin and Jarrod Parker, but his success as a starter in 2014 may afford him another shot at the rotation in 2015, especially to start the year with two key cogs coming back from Tommy John surgery.

Chavez carved out a role for himself as a middle reliever in the A's bullpen in 2013. Chavez was able to limit the long ball (only three in 57.1 innings) which was his major issue during his previous short stints in the majors and throughout his career in the minors. Most likely, he'll continue to see low-leverage opportunities in Oakland, but Chavez strikes out nearly a batter per inning and should reprise his role in the A's bullpen in 2014.

Chavez wasn't faring very well in Atlanta before coming to Kansas City in a trade last season, and the trend continued once he donned Royals colors. The main reason behind the dip in production was a decreased strand rate. In 2009, he left 77 percent of inherited runners on base en route to a career-low 4.10 ERA. Last season, Chavez kept only 63 percent of inherited runners from crossing home. His walk rate also increased as did his BABIP. He's a decent bounceback candidate, but there's plenty of risk and little reward here as Chavez isn't high on the pecking order to receive saves should Joakim Soria go down or be moved.

Chavez will join the Braves' bullpen after he was the return from Tampa Bay for Rafael Soriano in December. There, he will likely be used in middle relief since he's shown the ability to get out left-handed hitters, so a specialist role may be on tap. Billy Wagner will likely enter the season as the closer for the Braves; so though Chavez's fantasy value will be minimal at the beginning of the season, he could work his way up the bullpen pecking chart if the oft-injured Wagner is forced to miss any action.

Chavez gained his first taste of the big leagues last year, throwing in a team-high 15 games in the month of September. The results were nothing extraordinary. Chavez went 0-1 with a 6.60 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and an opponent's batting average of .328. Still, with just a 15-inning sample size there's plenty of reason to expect improvement from the hard-throwing 25-year-old right-hander. Chavez saved 14 games for Triple-A Indianapolis, registering a 3.80 ERA and a 70:22 K:BB ratio in 68.2 innings. With any luck, Chavez could become a productive seventh or eighth reliever for the Bucs in 2009.