Chavez is entering his third and final year of arbitration eligibility after earning $2.15 million this past season. He posted a 5-0 record to go along with an impressive 2.92 ERA, plus 71 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.
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Athletics starting pitcher Jesse Chavez, 30 throws in the first inning, as the San Francisco Giants take on the Oakland Athletics at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday.
The right-hander goes to Toronto in a deal for Liam Hendriks.
It’s possible that the A’s might try Hendriks as a starter again but, given his relative success in 2015, it would make more sense to let him continue as a reliable power arm in a setup role.
Depending on whether the Jays replenish their rotation with more significant deals, Chavez could compete for a starting spot in spring training.
The writing was on the wall for Chavez after the club signed journeyman starter Rich Hill earlier this week, though with Oakland drawing big interest in Chazez’s services, there was a few questions about who the A’s might land. “But I know the Blue Jays organization and I know what a great team team they have and that’s the best way to get over the initial shock, that’s something to get excited about”. Sure, it helps to toil in a pitcher-friendly stadium, as he has in Oakland, and Chavez’s road ERA over the past two seasons is 4.52 and Toronto’s park can be a launching pad for home runs. The second half has been when the slight right-hander has struggled, his ERA going up more than 1.50 in each of the past two seasons after the All-Star break.
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Since he broke in with the Pirates in 2008, Chavez has pitched primarily as a reliever.
