Jesse Chavez Traded to Cubs from Rangers for Tyler Thomas

The Chicago Cubs didn't wait until the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline to address their bullpen.

Chicago announced Thursday it acquired veteran reliever Jesse Chavez from the Texas Rangers for minor league pitcher Tyler Thomas.

The Cubs are his ninth team in his 11-year career and sixth since 2015.

Chavez is having one of his best seasons, posting a 3.51 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in 30 appearances. He has 50 strikeouts in 56.1 innings and has issued just 12 walks.

The 34-year-old will be a free agent after the season.

Chicago had baseball's fourth-best bullpen ERA and the second-best in the National League during the first half at 3.09. The likes of Brandon Morrow, Steve Cishek and Randy Rosario all have posted sub-2.00 ERAs in 20-plus outings, with a trio of others coming in under 3.00.

But a team can never have too much bullpen depth—especially considering Morrow hit the disabled list Thursday with lower back tightness, per MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.

Thomas, meanwhile, was a seventh-round pick in last year's draft. The southpaw has gotten off to a strong start to his pro career, posting a 2.77 ERA in 26 games between two levels of Single-A. He had a 2.88 ERA and an impressive 0.96 WHIP in 15 outings (14 starts) for the South Bend Cubs this year, striking out 105 in 94.1 innings.

The deal makes sense for both sides. The Cubs hold a 2.5-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and just brought in a proven arm manager Joe Maddon can turn to in key situations. The last-place Rangers, on the other hand, added a promising young pitcher who could help the team down the road.