Varland named 1st BBWAA AL Reliever of the Year

TORONTO -- One of the greatest reliever seasons in Blue Jays history just made Louis Varland the first recipient of the AL Reliever of the Year Award.

In a stacked group of finalists against Cade Smith of the Guardians and Bryan Baker of the Rays, Varland earned 16 of a potential 30 first-place votes from BBWAA voters, narrowly edging out Smith with 146 total points to Smith’s 133.

Varland’s save total (35) didn’t quite match Smith and Baker, who had 41 apiece, but that’s only because Varland spent the first month of the season in a setup role. Once he took over the closer’s job from Jeff Hoffman, though, Varland ran with it. There’s a joke amongst Blue Jays fans who call Varland “The Committee”, because after manager John Schneider first said there would be a committee approach to the ninth inning, it took about five minutes to see that it would be the Varland show.

“I’m very proud of trying to be the best teammate I can be and helping the team win in any way possible,” Varland said, “which is kind of any role. That just happened to be closer after the first month. I’m proud of that.”

Speaking with the media following the announcement, Varland was incredibly eager to run down the list of people he’d like to thank, beginning with his wife, Maddie, his family and his agent. Next in line were members of the Blue Jays’ coaching staff, led by pitching coach Pete Walker, bullpen coach Graham Johnson, assistant pitching coach Sam Greene and coordinator of pitching gameplanning Luke Hoey.

His numbers are simply undeniable. With a 1.27 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 78 innings, Varland wasn’t just a high-powered option in the ninth inning, he was a bullpen workhorse. That’s what makes Varland truly special. Baseball is full of pitchers who can throw a baseball 100 mph, but Varland’s competitive nature and incredible stubbornness made him an option for Schneider almost every night.

Really, that’s how many baseball fans were introduced to Varland. During the Blue Jays’ 2025 postseason run, he was the guy running out of the bullpen almost every single game. His tank never emptied.

“That built a lot of confidence, especially John Schneider trusting me as much as he did to throw me into any situation,” Varland said on MLB Network. “Whether it went good or bad, that just really built my confidence and set me up for this year.”

By the time Varland showed up for camp in 2026, he was ready to keep pitching. You’ll often hear that an athlete is “built different,” but Varland actually might be.

“Honestly, I felt great -- surprisingly,” Varland said. “I didn’t expect to feel that good, but I did and I just love to pitch. I was honored to pitch that much in that postseason. I came into this year and I still felt great, so no harm, no foul.”

As the Blue Jays’ clear closer with plenty of years ahead of him in Toronto, Varland now has an opportunity to thrust himself into the conversation of the greatest closers we’ve seen in this city. In terms of traditional, back-end relievers, he’ll be compared to the greats like Duane Ward and Tom Henke, who formed one of the best bullpen tandems in the sport through the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. When Henke left the Blue Jays following their 1992 World Series win and Ward took over the closer’s role as his own, he saved 45 games that season, which still stands as the club’s all-time record.

In fact, Ward is the only Blue Jays closer to touch 40 saves. If you give Varland a full 162 games in the role on a winning team, he could easily take a run at that record, which has stood for over three decades.

Varland wasn’t the lone Blue Jays player on the ballot, either. Veteran Tyler Rogers got a fourth-place vote while rookie Spencer Miles got two fifth-place votes.

Varland takes home the hardware, though, and the inaugural AL Reliever of the Year Award. All that’s left is to celebrate.

“I’m just trying to enjoy the moment with all of my peers,” Varland said, “and my wife and agent down here. We’ll see where the night takes me. I might end up at a blackjack table, we’ll see.”