Blue Jays Closer Louis Varland Wins Inaugural AL Reliever of the Year Award

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Louis Varland won the inaugural American League Reliever of the Year award on Wednesday night, capturing 16 first-place votes and 146 total points in voting conducted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA), ca.sports.yahoo.com reported.

“It’s a pretty special moment,” Varland said of the honor, sportsnet.ca reported.

Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith finished second in the voting with seven first-place votes and 133 total points. Tampa Bay Rays reliever Bryan Baker, a former Blue Jays farmhand, placed third with six first-place votes and 111 points, according to sportsnet.ca.

Varland took over the closer role in April after Jeff Hoffman struggled early in the season. He converted 35 of 37 save opportunities while posting a 1.27 earned-run average with 97 strikeouts across 78 innings over 71 regular-season appearances, toronto.citynews.ca reported.

Varland Transitions to Bullpen Role After Toronto Trade

Acquired by Toronto at the 2025 trade deadline from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for outfielder Alan Roden and left-hander Kendry Rojas, Varland transitioned permanently out of a starting role. He appeared in 15 of the team’s 18 post-season games under manager John Schneider, sportsnet.ca reported.

Shifting to the bullpen allowed him to abandon the starter’s pacing approach. “You’re not playing the cat and mouse game and saving a pitch for later in the outing, you can just throw your best stuff right away and challenge up,” Varland said, as reported by sportsnet.ca.

A key factor in his bullpen dominance was a changeup adjustment suggested by Blue Jays pitching coach Graham Johnson. Johnson recommended altering the grip to a one-seam with a seam-shift to generate movement while maintaining a fastball delivery arm speed, toronto.citynews.ca reported.

“I had a whole off-season with it and after having that, I had the confidence and the feel for it, and I brought that into spring training and then into the season,” Varland said, according to sportsnet.ca. “And that right there was the pitch I’ve been searching for the past couple years, and finally dialled it down this year and it helped me out a lot.”

The adjustment transformed the pitch into an effective weapon against left-handed hitters. Varland threw the changeup 31 percent of the time against lefties—up 20 percent from 2025—holding them to a .123 batting average and a .140 slugging percentage, sportsnet.ca reported.

Mutual Respect Among Relievers

Varland and Smith crossed paths during the MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia over the summer, discussing their roles as relievers in the American League clubhouse, toronto.citynews.ca reported.

“I’m a big fan of his,” Varland said of Smith, describing the Canadian pitcher as “just a true competitor” who “looks like a bulldog out there,” sportsnet.ca reported.

Smith monitored Varland’s progress after watching him split time between starting and relieving in Minnesota prior to the trade. “Obviously his stuff is great,” Smith said, according to sportsnet.ca. “He’s going to come in, he’s going to fill up the zone. That’s probably one of the most important things coming out of the bullpen.”

In other BBWAA voting results announced alongside the reliever awards, Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease finished second in the American League Cy Young Award voting behind unanimous winner Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees, sportsnet.ca reported.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2026, ca.sports.yahoo.com reported.

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