After a long career, Chavez calls it quits Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Braves World Series Champion Pitcher Announces Retirement

Originally posted on Atlanta Braves on SI
By Harrison Smajovits | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 3:13 PM ET

Former Atlanta Braves reliever Jesse Chavez announced his retirement on Thursday. He said on the latest episode of Foul Territory that he was ready for the next chapter, and he hasn't picked up a baseball since his last appearance in a game on July 13.

He's ready to teach the next generation of baseball players.

"As of right now, I don't think we're gonna keep going," Chavez said on Foul Territory. "I think this is it. Time to turn the page, focus on the next chapter in life and go help all the young kids with all the stuff I did, so they don't have to take two steps backward and take those three steps forward.

After the Braves designated him for assignment, he elected free agency instead of being outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he had spent most of the 2025 season.

He pitched in professional baseball until he was almost 42 years old. He wraps up his career with a 4.27 ERA in 657 games pitched. He got his chance at the rotation a few times as well, getting the ball to start the game 85 times. Of the nine teams he pitched in the majors for in his career, the Braves were the team he spent a plurality of time with.

His 190 appearances for the Braves are 89 more than the next team, the Oakland Athletics. His time in Atlanta was arguably his best. He had a 3.30 ERA and a 127 ERA+ with the team. At 39 years old, he finished the 2023 season with a 1.56 ERA, the best of his career by far.

He won the World Series with the Braves in 2021. He was one of the arms you felt like would be around forever, but the time walk away comes for every ballplayer eventually.

Chavez leaves satified with how his career turned out. It had been a roller coaster at times, so to play as long as he did is meaningful.

"This has been a great ride; way more than I expected to from a 42nd-round draft pick," Chavez said on Foul Territory. "Thing is, I was given a gift early on and I understood, but it was how am I gonna make it last. How am I gonna keep it going for this long? I always said I wanne be able to go out the way I came being able to roll out of bed and throw a baseball, and fortuantely, I'm still able to do that."