Toronto Blue Jays closer Louis Varland reacted to an incredible season in his first year as a full-time stopper in MLB.
After taking over as the Blue Jays’ closer early in the season, after Jeff Hoffman lost his job, Varland was absolutely brilliant for Toronto.
This season, Varland pitched in 71 games for Toronto, going 5-6 with a 1.27 ERA and 35 saves while racking up 97 strikeouts in 78 IP. He also had 3.6 bWAR, which shows how valuable he was out of the Blue Jays’ bullpen.
Louis Varland Reacts to Great Season for Blue Jays
Taking to his social media following the conclusion of the Blue Jays’ 2026 season, Varland shared his reaction to a breakout year out of Toronto’s bullpen.
“Grateful for every part of the ride. Until next season,” Varland wrote on his Instagram.
Blue Jays Counting on Louis Varland in 2027
One of the most unfortunate things about Varland’s breakout season as the Blue Jays’ closer in 2026 was that, despite how incredible he pitched for Toronto, the team failed to make the postseason this year.
The Blue Jays will need Varland to once again be the backbone of their bullpen in 2027, as he will be relied on to close games for the team as they look to bounce back and make the postseason after a disastrous 2026 season that can only be described as an abject failure.
Not for Varland, however, as he was phenomenal for the team this season and will likely get American League Cy Young votes when the voting comes out later this winter.
The great thing about Varland for the Blue Jays is that the team still has him under control for four more seasons, so he has plenty of time to keep closing games for Toronto and help the team make the playoffs again next season and beyond.
When the Blue Jays acquired Varland from the Minnesota Twins at the 2025 MLB trade deadline, they thought they were getting a solid reliever who would help the team, but they could never have expected that he would turn into the All-Star closer that he is in such a short period of time.
Louis Varland Reacts to Incredible Season for Blue Jays