Toronto Blue Jays stud nearer Louis Varland took house the inaugural American League Reliever of the 12 months Award.
Though the Blue Jays didn’t win the American League Cy Younger Award, as Dylan Stop got here in second place to Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees, they did take house the AL Reliever of the 12 months honor for 2026.
Louis Varland Wins Reliever of the 12 months Award
The BBWAA voted Varland because the winner, barely beating Cleveland Guardians nearer Cade Smith for the distinction.
Varland had 146 whole factors to Smith’s 133 factors, with former Blue Jays reliever Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays ending in third place with 111 factors.
Varland obtained 16 first-place votes, 4 second-place votes, 5 third-place votes, one fourth-place vote, and one fifth-place vote as he appeared on 27 of the 30 ballots. Surprisingly, three voters left Varland off their ballots solely, which is a head-scratcher. Both approach, Varland received the award, and it was nicely deserved.
Blue Jays Nearer Was Unimaginable
In his first season because the Blue Jays’ nearer, Varland had a season to recollect for Toronto.
Varland had a 1.27 ERA with 35 saves for the Blue Jays. He pitched in 71 video games, throwing 78 IP with 97 strikeouts for Toronto, whereas racking up a powerful 3.6 bWAR for the membership in what was, by far, the most effective season of his MLB profession to this point, as he was additionally named an All-Star for the primary time in his profession.
The 28-year-old Varland got here to Toronto final season in a commerce with the Minnesota Twins that they’d probably want they’d again, as Varland emerged as a key cog of Toronto’s bullpen throughout their 2025 World Collection run.
Then, in 2026, he confirmed that he’s among the many elite relievers within the sport by capturing this inaugural AL Reliever of the 12 months Award for the Blue Jays, a well-deserved honor for the pitcher.
Subsequent season, Varland will start the season because the Blue Jays nearer, as he stuffed in after a couple of month of this season following the struggles of former nearer Jeff Hoffman, who, sarcastically, is now a member of Varland’s outdated group in Minnesota.
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