LA Angels: Halos add more bullpen depth, sign Jesse Chavez to minor league deal

The Angels invited a familiar face to spring training after signing Jesse Chavez to a minor league deal on Thursday.

Jesse Chavez pitched the best in his career the last time he played for Joe Maddon, can he do it again for the Angels?

Chavez, 37, pitched for the Angels during the 2017 season. In 38 games for the Halos (21 as a starter), Chavez posted a 5.35 ERA and 1.399 WHIP in 138 innings pitched.

The addition of Chavez marks the fifth current Angel with previous experience playing under manager Joe Maddon. Chavez pitched arguably the best of his career after being acquired by the Cubs in the 2018 season.

During his time with Maddon in Chicago, Chavez finished with a 1.15 ERA and 0.795 WHIP in 39 innings out of the Cubs bullpen.

Analytically, Chavez finished towards the bottom rankings in multiple categories last summer.

Chavez Statcast Statistics 2020:

• Barrel Rate: (14.3) Bottom 2%
• XBA: (.299) Bottom 4%
• WOBA: (.395) Bottom 6%
• XWOBA: (.377) Bottom 4%
• xERAL (6.87) Bottom 4%

Asking Chavez to repeat his performances from the 2018 season is probably asking a lot at this point in his career. If he holds a good spring camp, Chavez will be used as a long inning reliever out of the Angels bullpen this season.

What I don’t understand is why the Halos would not have gone after Tyler Clippard or Jeremy Jeffress. Both are veterans coming off strong 2020 seasons and were signed to affordable one-year deals.

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Having a surplus of arms is never a bad thing. The Chavez addition will bring another veteran presence and increased competition for the Angels bullpen.