Only a select few Atlanta Braves players hold "never have to buy a beer," status around the city of Atlanta. Eddie Rosario and Tyler Matzek certainly qualify for their 2021 postseason heroics. However, after many, many stints with the Braves, one seasoned vet eventually became a cultural icon that has a fair claim to join Rosario and Matzek in Braves lore. That man is Jesse Chavez, another member of the 2021 World Series team, and someone who carved out an 18-year career in the Major Leagues.
It almost became a running joke about how excellent Chavez was with the Braves as he bounced around teams, but never had quite the success he had in Atlanta. Chavez retired this past July, and his beloved reputation around baseball made him an immediate favorite to transition into coaching. Just as many expected, Chavez landed a coaching role on Friday, when the San Francisco Giants hired him as their 2026 bullpen coach.
The Giants are adding another familiar face to staff: Longtime big league reliever Jesse Chavez will be their bullpen coach. Chavez spent 18 seasons in the big leagues and pitched for nine different teams, most recently the Braves last season.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) December 5, 2025
Giants hire former Brave Jesse Chavez as their bullpen coach
Jesse Chavez will once again call the bay area home, after he accepted his first coaching gig on Friday morning. Giants reporter, Alex Pavlovic gave the initial details as Chavez was one of a few coaching additions to new manager, Tony Vitello's staff out in San Francisco.
Chavez was often praised by his teammates during his time in Atlanta, and his ability to pitch for so many different organizations allowed him to make plenty of connections during his nearly two-decade career. Chavez finished his playing career with a 4.27 career ERA, and logged over 1,100 innings despite never having what you would call overpowering stuff. Now, Chavez's next challenge will be to lead a Giants bullpen that is expected to have a lot of turnover from last season.
Plenty of shakeups are happening out in San Francisco, as Buster Posey looks to get the Giants back to the winning ways he experienced during their early 2010's dynasty. As for the Braves, seeing Chavez hired as a bullpen coach should officially rule out any out-of-retirement hopes some fans may have had for Chavez in the back of their mind for 2026. Instead, Atlanta will continue to add bullpen pieces around the returning Raisel Iglesias until they assemble a group that Alex Anthopoulos has confidence in heading into next season.