The Texas Rangers officially announced Friday that they signed free agent pitcher Jesse Chavez to a one-year contract.
The deal marks a homecoming of sorts for the 34-year-old. The Rangers drafted drafted him back in 2002.
During his first stint with the organization, Chavez made it up to Triple-A before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2006.
Since then he's played in Atlanta, Kansas City, Toronto, Oakland and Los Angeles.
"It was a long road -- a long, twisty one," said Chavez, who joined the Rangers in Surprise, Arizona Friday. "But in my opinion, it was for the best for me personally to go through the troubles and the ups and downs and the success. Those troubles helped me get through the success part. But coming back here, walking in -- a lot of memories come back."
Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels called Chavez a "big time competitor and a big time teammate," saying his ability to be a starter and a long reliever can help protect the team's pitching staff in a lot of ways.
Chavez says however the coaching staff wants to use him, he'll be ready.
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“I feel comfortable in either [role]," said Chavez. "Obviously, off-season preparation goes for a starter’s workload. It’s tough to add that during the year if you’re not used to it. So if I prepare as a starter in the off-season, the transition from going to relieving or back and forth and vice versa, it makes the transition a little easier.”
