The Atlanta Braves have been plagued all season by injuries, but they've managed to stay in the fight.
Despite losing stars Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider, Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley for extended periods, the Braves maintain a slim 1/2-game lead on the rival New York Mets for the final National League playoff spot.
One key reason for their resilient success has been the bullpen. Anchored by Raisel Iglesias, who recently retired an incredible 38 batters in a row, the Braves have been locking down tight games late, allowing them to weather the storm of an inconsistent offense.
Good bullpens have been a hallmark of Braves baseball for the past half-decade, if not the entire 21st century. But in 2025, the Braves may be in danger of losing one of their most consistent relievers.
On Wednesday, Will Leitch of MLB.com listed Braves reliever Jesse Chavez as one of the most likely candidates for retirement at the end of the 2024 season.
"There is something emotionally satisfying about a crafty reliever still hanging on into his 40s," Leitch said. "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, though his numbers have slipped as the year has gone by. He still has a very respectable 3.34 ERA in 56 2/3 innings, good for an ERA+ of 127.
Chavez has played for nine teams in his 17-year career, and as he's gotten older, he's seemingly found the fountain of youth in Atlanta. He was good there in 2021, awful for two other teams in 2022, then went back to Atlanta later that season and instantly became productive again.
If it has to come to an end, Atlanta seems like the perfect place for Chavez to call it a career, especially if it culminates in another successful postseason run. But with a crafty veteran like Chavez, one can never assume it's over until he says so.
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