The Minnesota Twins watched Louis Varland leave and, not long after, watched him become the American League’s top reliever.
Varland, a hometown arm the Twins dealt away, won AL Reliever of the Year after a season that pushed him into a different tier. He finished with 146 points and 16 first-place votes in a tight race, edging Cade Smith of the Guardians, who had 133 points and seven first-place votes. Bryan Baker of the Rays came in third with 111 points, while Aroldis Chapman of the Red Sox and Josh Hader of the Astros also drew votes.
The rise didn’t happen overnight. Varland posted a 2.97 ERA in 2025, though that number was weighed down by a 4.94 ERA after Toronto acquired him. In 2026, he took another step and put together a career-best 1.27 ERA.
His workload climbed, too. Varland threw a career-high 72 2/3 innings in 2025 and followed that with 78 innings this past season. The bigger change was his role: he took over as closer from former teammate and new Twins pitcher Jeff Hoffman, and most of his work came in the highest-leverage moments.
Toronto leaned on him for 35 saves. He struck out 97 batters, walked 23 and allowed only two home runs. His fastball also kept ticking up, from a 98.1 mph average in 2025 to 98.8 mph this season.
The award adds to a year that already included his first All-Star selection. Varland remains under team control through 2030 and has earned just shy of $2.3 million in his career. He’s slated to be a key part of the Toronto bullpen again in 2027, and the numbers suggest he’s not going anywhere near the middle of the relief pack anytime soon.
In Other News...
Trevor Larnach Just Added A New Twist To Twins Trade Talk
Trevor Larnachs offseason took a small turn this week, with the Twins outfielder set for arthroscopic surgery on his left wrist after soreness lingered from the sprain that cost him the final two weeks of the season. It is not the kind of development that changes the bigger picture for Minnesota, but it does add another layer to a winter already shaped by questions about where Larnach fits.
General manager Jeremy Zoll characterized the procedure as minor, and the team does not expect it to affect Larnachs availability for the start of Spring Training. Even so, the timing is worth noting for a player who had already surfaced in trade conversations, including a potential deal with the Astros that never materialized, leaving his status as one more item for the Twins to sort through as the offseason unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Still Have The Bullpen Need This Rival Just Exposed
The Twins bullpen picture got a little clearer, and not in a way that should make anyone in Minnesota feel settled. Detroit has reportedly moved to add former Twins reliever Emilio Pagn on a one-year deal, a reminder that one of the more familiar late-inning arms in the division is now headed to a rival. For Minnesota, it is another nudge toward the same offseason question that has hovered for weeks: how much more relief help still needs to be added before the group feels trustworthy enough for a full season?
Pagns recent track record is part of why the move matters, because the Tigers are betting on a pitcher whose performance has been uneven enough to leave plenty of room for debate. Even so, the fit is easy to understand from Detroits side, and it only sharpens the Twins own need to keep looking for answers in the bullpen market. The division has a way of turning these kinds of moves into direct comparisons, and this one does not exactly make Minnesotas path any simpler. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Could Target A Bullpen Arm With One Big Roster Catch
The bullpen market picked up another name when Boston moved on from right-hander Zack Kelly, and the Twins could have reason to take a look. Minnesota has been searching for ways to deepen its relief mix, and Kelly is the kind of arm that fits the conversation: a right-handed reliever with enough big-league track record to merit attention, even if he is not a headline addition.
Kellys profile is complicated by the health piece, since he is working back from an elbow fracture and has not yet resumed throwing. Still, for a Twins club that has to weigh upside against availability, the appeal is obvious if the medicals check out. The question now is whether Minnesota sees enough there to make a move before another team beats it to a low-cost bullpen gamble. [Read more 🡒]