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Tuesday, August 02, 2022

This is the most traded player ever

But one MLB player has been swapped in more deals than any other.

He’s played in less than 15 seasons and been traded nine times—including once this year. He’s won a World Series, he’s played in every division and he’s probably played for your favorite team.

He is 38-year-old bespectacled Braves reliever Jesse Chavez.

Yes, Chavez has been dealt three more times than famous journeymen like Edwin Jackson or Octavio Dotel. Former pitcher Dick Littlefield would’ve been tied with Chavez at nine (look at his ridiculous transactions page), but his 1956 trade to the Giants for Jackie Robinson was voided: Robinson chose to retire rather than play for the Dodgers’ rivals.

So because it is trade season, and these next 24-48 hours should be awash with last-second swaps and steals, let’s run through the career of the most moveable man in baseball history.

 

RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: August 02, 2022 at 09:50 AM | 13 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
  Tags: jesse chavez

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   1. Rally Posted: August 02, 2022 at 09:58 AM (#6089399)
Of the 9 teams he played for, his 138 innings for the Angels is 3rd most, though he was only there 1 year.
   2. Der-K's enjoying the new boygenius album. Posted: August 02, 2022 at 11:13 AM (#6089406)
My favorite thing about Chavez is that his wife (last I read) still works part-time as a longshoreman in Long Beach. As I understand it, she fell in love with the work...
   3. Steve Sparks Flying Everywhere Posted: August 02, 2022 at 11:14 AM (#6089407)
In 2006, I interned for the Frisco Roughriders. Chavez was in the bullpen that year and I remember that he was always a good dude. Other players of note on that team that year were Armando Galarraga, nicknamed Big Bird, and Jayce Tingler. It was a fun summer.
   4. Rough Carrigan Posted: August 02, 2022 at 11:24 AM (#6089411)
#2. Was she a niece of Johnny Friendly?
   5. Ziggy: social distancing since 1980 Posted: August 02, 2022 at 11:45 AM (#6089417)
My first thought seeing the headline was "Bobo Newsom," and he was transferred between teams more than Chavez was, but some of them were sales and some were rule V transactions:


September, 1929: Sent from Macon (South Atlantic) to the Brooklyn Robins in an unknown transaction. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

April, 1931: Purchased by Kansas City (American Association) from the Brooklyn Robins. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

September 30, 1931: Drafted by the Chicago Cubs from Little Rock (Southern Association) in the 1931 rule 5 draft.

October 2, 1933: Drafted by the St. Louis Browns from the Chicago Cubs in the 1933 rule 5 draft.

May 21, 1935: Purchased by the Washington Senators from the St. Louis Browns for $40,000.

June 11, 1937: Traded by the Washington Senators with Ben Chapman to the Boston Red Sox for Mel Almada, Rick Ferrell and Wes Ferrell.

December 2, 1937: Traded by the Boston Red Sox with Red Kress and Buster Mills to the St. Louis Browns for Joe Vosmik.

May 13, 1939: Traded by the St. Louis Browns with Beau Bell, Red Kress and Jim Walkup to the Detroit Tigers for Mark Christman, George Gill, Bob Harris, Vern Kennedy, Chet Laabs and Roxie Lawson.

March 31, 1942: Purchased by the Washington Senators from the Detroit Tigers for $40,000.

August 30, 1942: Purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers from the Washington Senators for $25,000.

July 15, 1943: Traded by the Brooklyn Dodgers to the St. Louis Browns for Archie McKain and Fritz Ostermueller.

August 31, 1943: Purchased by the Washington Senators from the St. Louis Browns.

December 13, 1943: Traded by the Washington Senators to the Philadelphia Athletics for Roger Wolff.

June 3, 1946: Released by the Philadelphia Athletics.

June 5, 1946: Signed as a Free Agent with the Washington Senators.

July 11, 1947: Purchased by the New York Yankees from the Washington Senators.



After that he spent the next five years getting released and signing as a free agent. And even in the quoted text, there's at least one transaction missing. Somehow he went from KC to Little Rock (unless the team moved).
   6. sanny manguillen Posted: August 02, 2022 at 11:53 AM (#6089423)
Grimly pursuing Ollie Perez to become the active player who has been an ex-Pirate the longest.
   7. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: August 02, 2022 at 12:17 PM (#6089444)
My take on #5 is how much cooler player names used to be.

   8. Walt Davis Posted: August 02, 2022 at 05:42 PM (#6089606)
#5: Chavez also has been selected off waivers once, sold once and signed as an FA 6 times, including once after being released.

EDIT: Another weird factoid: In 2001, he was drafted out of HS by the Cubs in the 39th round, didn't sign, went JUCO. We see that all the time. But he actually fell to Texas in the 42nd round the next year and did sign. I mean, how do you fall from the 39th to 42nd round ... and still make the majors and have a 15 year career?
   9. Cris E Posted: August 02, 2022 at 06:15 PM (#6089620)
The Braves pulled off a massive buzzer-beater just before the deadline, acquiring closer Raisel Iglesias from the Angels in exchange for pitching prospect Tucker Davidson and righty Jesse Chavez, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that the Braves will pay the remainder of Iglesias’ contract — a four-year, $58MM deal that covers the 2022-25 seasons.
   10. TJ Posted: August 02, 2022 at 06:16 PM (#6089622)
This just in- Jesse Chavez just got traded again, this time with Tucker Davidson to the Angels for Raisel Iglesias…

Edit- Ack! Just a hair late! Coke to Cris.
   11. For the Turnstiles (andeux) Posted: August 02, 2022 at 06:30 PM (#6089633)
#5: Chavez also has been selected off waivers once, sold once and signed as an FA 6 times, including once after being released.


They were already counting the purchase as a trade ("traded for cash") in TFA.
   12. What did Billy Ripken have against ElRoy Face? Posted: August 02, 2022 at 08:33 PM (#6089692)
My take on #5 is how much cooler player names used to be
Depends on what you think of the Odrisamers and the Eleheurises and the Yangervises, I suppose.
   13. Cblau Posted: August 02, 2022 at 08:51 PM (#6089704)
With all the licking of Jackie Robinson's boots that MLB does, you'd think they wouldn't be spreading that myth about him retiring because he didn't want to play for the Giants, when he had actually retired before the trade was made,

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