The Texas Rangers officially announced today that the club has signed free agent right-handed pitcher Jesse Chavez to a two-year contract covering the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Financial terms were not disclosed, per club policy.
 
Chavez, 35, combined to post a 5-2 record with a 2.55 ERA (27 ER/95.1 IP) and 5 saves over 62 relief appearances with the Rangers and Cubs in 2018, establishing career highs in relief innings and WHIP (1.059). He totaled the 2nd-most relief innings in MLB last season, trailing only Tampa Bay's Ryan Yarbrough (118.2). Over his final 45 appearances beginning June 1, Chavez compiled a 1.68 ERA (12 ER/64.1 IP) with 61 strikeouts against 11 walks. He also pitched a scoreless inning for the Cubs in the 2018 National League Wild Card Game against the Rockies, the first postseason outing of his career.
 
Chavez joins the Phillies' Tommy Hunter as the only active pitchers with at least 390.0 innings as both a starter and reliever. Originally selected by the Rangers in the 42nd round of the 2002 June draft, Chavez was traded to the Pirates in a July 31, 2006 trade involving pitcher Kip Wells. He signed with the Rangers in February and made the club's Opening Day roster before he was traded to the Cubs on July 19 in exchange for left-handed pitcher Tyler Thomas. Chavez has a career 38-53 record with a 4.45 ERA over 415 games/70 starts with nine different major league teams: Pittsburgh (2008-09), Atlanta (2010), Kansas City (2010-11), Toronto (2012, 2016), Oakland (2012-15), Los Angeles-NL (2016), Los Angeles-AL (2017), Texas (2018), and Chicago-NL (2018).
 
With the addition of Chavez, the Rangers now have 38 players on the club's major league roster.