Blue Jays closer Louis Varland wins inaugural AL Reliever of the Year Award

Toronto Blue Jays closer Louis Varland was named the winner of the inaugural American League Reliever of the Year Award on Wednesday. Varland earned 16 first-place votes and 146 total points to narrowly beat runner-up Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians, who had seven first-place votes and 133 points. Tampa Bay Rays closer Bryan Baker finished third with six first-place votes and 111 points. The award is the first new postseason honour handed out by the Baseball Writers' Association of America since the Manager of the Year award was created in 1983. Varland, who called winning the award "a pretty special moment," led qualified AL relievers with a 1.27 ERA and saved 35 games after taking over ninth-inning duties for Toronto in April. The 28-year-old right-hander struck out 97 batters and allowed only two home runs over 78 innings in 71 appearances. He is the first Blue Jays reliever to win any type of regular-season bullpen award in the franchise's 50-year history.

"It wasn't the goal," Varland said. "It just so happened I won it. I'm just trying to do my job and help the team win. Things just kind of went my way more often than they didn't." Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said the team was thrilled with Varland's growth since acquiring him from the Minnesota Twins at the 2025 trade deadline. "The impact he had on our bullpen was significant, but just as important was the teammate, competitiveness, preparation and selflessness he brought to our team every day," Atkins said.

Varland credited a tweak to his changeup, suggested by Blue Jays pitching coach Graham Johnson, as a key to his success. The grip change turned the pitch into a weapon against left-handed hitters, whom he limited to a .123 average. "I had a whole off-season with it and after having that, I had the confidence and the feel for it," Varland said. "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." He also said shifting from a starting role to relief allowed him to "just throw your best stuff right away and challenge up."

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In the National League, San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller was the unanimous winner of the Reliever of the Year Award. Miller received all 30 first-place votes and 210 points, finishing ahead of Philadelphia's Jhoan Duran and Milwaukee's Trevor Megill. Miller saved an NL-best 38 games and led NL relievers with a 1.67 ERA and a 1.17 FIP. He struck out 129 batters in 70 innings and his 16.6 strikeouts per nine innings was the third-highest single-season mark for a reliever in a 162-game season.

Varland's win provides a bright spot for the Blue Jays as they head into the off-season. His emergence as a closer helped stabilize a bullpen that was a team strength, appearing in 15 of the club's 18 post-season games. Supported by relievers like Tyler Rogers and Mason Fluharty, the Blue Jays have a solid foundation for their 2027 relief corps. The most valuable player awards will be announced on Thursday.

With files from theScore, Sportsnet and CBC News