Louis Varland’s rise in Toronto has gone from useful deadline pickup to full-blown centerpiece in a hurry.
When the Blue Jays landed him at last season’s trade deadline, the idea was simple: add another arm for a postseason run. Less than a year later, Varland is not just part of the plan - he’s become one of the main reasons Toronto is still hanging around the race at all.
The numbers tell the story. Varland leads all American League relief pitchers with a 2.2 fWAR, and he’s paired that value with a 1.10 ERA and 1.43 FIP across 49 innings.
He’s also punched out 67 batters, tops among AL relievers, while walking only 13. His 12.31 K/9 has helped turn him into one of the league’s most dominant bullpen arms and earned him his first All-Star nod.
During All-Star Game media day, Varland spoke exclusively with FanSided’s Adam Weinrib, co-host of the Baseball Insiders Podcast, and made it clear that Toronto has become a comfortable place for him.
"I would say I'm pretty comfortable in Toronto now," Varland said. "It took me a couple of weeks over there to really find my groove.
But I'm comfortable now. It's a great spot to be, very comfortable over there.
It's a great group of guys, great coaches and support staff. Really happy there."
That’s exactly the kind of answer Blue Jays fans want from a player who has quickly become one of the organization’s most valuable assets. Toronto paid a real price to get him, sending pitching prospect Kendry Rojas and young outfielder Alan Roden, who started the season on the Blue Jays’ big league roster, to Minnesota.
Varland’s first stretch with Toronto after the trade was solid rather than spectacular. He threw 23.2 innings for the Blue Jays and posted a 4.94 ERA with a 3.56 FIP, while striking out hitters at a 10.65 K/9 clip. But the postseason is where he started to look like a different pitcher entirely.
He appeared in 15 of Toronto’s 18 playoff games, logging 16 innings with a 3.94 ERA and 3.88 FIP. He struck out 17 and issued just three walks, handling some of the biggest spots of his career with the kind of poise that changes how a team views a reliever.
One of the defining moments came in Game Four of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium. With Toronto up 2-1 in the best-of-five series, John Schneider turned to Varland to open the game and help set the tone against the top of the Yankees’ order. Varland delivered, striking out two, allowing one hit and throwing 12 of his 20 pitches for strikes in 1.1 innings.
The Blue Jays would go on to clinch the Division Series against the Yankees in that ballpark, and Varland’s outing became part of the memory of that run.
"It definitely felt big beating them at Yankee Stadium," Varland said. "That's a great spot to clinch a postseason series. It's not as good as doing it at home, but I would say it's the next best spot."
Now the Blue Jays need that version of him again. They enter the break at 45-51, sitting last in the AL East but only 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. The math says there’s still a path, even if the margin for error is thin.
Varland has already done his part. With Toronto needing a second-half push, the pressure shifts to the rest of the roster to match the standard he’s set. And with Varland not reaching free agency until 2031, the Blue Jays have one of the game’s most valuable bullpen pieces locked in for the long haul.
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