Texas Rangers Sign a Pair of Former A's

Former A's pitcher Jesse Chavez and outfielder Cody Thomas have signed minor league deals with the Texas Rangers.
Aug 19, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jesse Chavez (30) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Aug 19, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jesse Chavez (30) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images / Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

On Monday, The Texas Rangers announced that they have signed right-hander Jesse Chavez and outfielder Cody Thomas. Chavez last played for the A's back in 2015, and Thomas played with the A's in parts of two seasons in 2022 and 2023.

Chavez has played on his fair share of Major League ball clubs in his lengthy 17-year career. In his career, he's played for nine different teams, and spent the majority of his career, especially recently, with the Atlanta Braves.

In his four years in Oakland, he posted an ERA of 3.98. In his final two seasons with the club, he was a starting pitcher, making 21 starts in 2014 and 26 starts in 2015. Those two seasons would be the only two-year stretch in his career where he'd make back-to-back 20+ start seasons. Chavez spent most of his career as a reliever but has made a few starts here and there in the nine seasons since his departure.

As mentioned, Chavez has played for nine different ball clubs, but surprisingly, he had more innings pitched with the A's than any other team he played on due to his role as a starting pitcher. He most recently played with the Atlanta Braves where he posted a 3.13 ERA in 63.1 innings pitched.

Chavez is now looking to fight for a spot with the Rangers out of Spring Training at 41 years old. The Rangers selected Chavez back in the 2002 MLB Draft, and now he returns to the organization over 20 years later. He last played for the Rangers' organization in 2020.

Former A's outfielder Cody Thomas also agreed to a minor-league pact with the Rangers. Thomas attended the University of Oklahoma, where he not only played baseball, but was also the quarterback of the football team. He was actually the backup to now NFL star quarterback, Baker Mayfield.

Cody Thomas would get selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 13th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, ending his football career, and would spend time in the Dodgers' organization until 2021 when he'd get traded to the A's with Adam Kolarek for Sheldon Neuse and Gus Varland.

After spending the beginning of 2022 with the A's Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators, he'd earn a call-up to the A's in the second half. In 30 big-league at-bats, Thomas batted to a .267 average and a .579 OPS with no extra base hits.

After batting .300 in Triple-A in 2023, he'd earn another big-league opportunity, where he batted .238, with a .685 OPS and a home run in 42 at-bats. Even after raising his OPS, there would be no room in the A's outfield, which would cause him to go overseas for his 2024 campaign.

Thomas signed with the Orix Buffaloes for the 2024 season, and would start with their "minor league" team, which plays in the Japan Western League. Thomas would actually perform pretty well, as he batted .263 with a .659 OPS, which earned him a call-up with the Buffaloes.

Upon his arrival to the Orix Buffaloes, he'd get 18 at-bats where he went 0-18 with 7 strikeouts.

Now Cody Thomas is headed back to the U.S. with the Rangers' organization. Thomas in all likelihood will begin his '25 campaign in Triple-A. Like he's done in previous years, if he can get off to a hot start in the minor leagues, he could earn himself a promotion. However, it certainly will not be easy for him to get called up in a crowded Rangers' outfield.


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Dylan Quinn
DYLAN QUINN

I grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about my favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but I love the team and all of the current and former players so much. I currently attend school at Penn State Scranton where I get the opportunity to play college baseball.