Toronto Blue Jays closer Louis Varland was named a finalist for the American League Reliever of the Year Award.
Varland, who just finished his first full year in Toronto after coming over in a 2025 trade deadline deal from the Minnesota Twins, was money for the Blue Jays as the team’s closer, and he may win a major year-end award after his phenomenal performance this season for Toronto.
Louis Varland Named AL Reliever of the Year Finalist
MLB announced the three finalists for the American League Reliever of the Year Award on Monday, with Varland, Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians, and former Blue Jays pitcher Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays, the three men vying for the year-end honor.
“Your 2026 @officialBBWAA AL Reliever of the Year Award finalists: Bryan Baker, Rays Cade Smith, Guardians Louis Varland, Blue Jays”
Bryan Baker, Rays Cade Smith, Guardians Louis Varland, Blue Jays
Varland becomes the second Blue Jays pitcher to be named a finalist for a major year-end award, as starting pitcher Dylan Cease is a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award.
Louis Varland’s Incredible Season for Blue Jays
Varland was 5-6 with a 1.27 ERA in 71 games, pitching for Toronto all out of the team’s bullpen with 35 saves after he took over the closer role for the team. He had 3.6 bWAR while also pitching 78 IP with 97 strikeouts for Toronto.
Varland was an indispensable part of Toronto’s bullpen all season long, and any Blue Jays fan who watched the team play this season knows how incredible he was for the team. But will that be enough for him to win the AL Reliever of the Year Award?
While Varland was incredible, both Smith and Baker were also fantastic for the Guardians and Rays, respectively, so the voters will have had a very difficult decision to make regarding this award.
In many ways, it may be the toughest award to pick this season for the voters, as some of the other major awards, like American League Most Valuable Player, where Yordan Alvarez will likely be a runaway winner, seem to be more obvious than this one, which is a much tougher race to call.
Louis Varland Is Finalist for American League Reliever of the Year