The Blue Jays’ 2026 season left plenty to be desired, but Dylan Cease and Louis Varland gave the club two legitimate award candidates anyway.
Both pitchers were named finalists for major AL honors, with Cease up for the Cy Young Award and Varland in the mix for Reliever of the Year. The winners will be announced on November 11th, and while both Blue Jays have a real case, one of them looks much closer to the finish line than the other.
Cease’s season ended on a rough note because of a late shoulder injury, but the bigger picture was still elite. In 29 starts, he paced the American League in FIP at 2.56, K/9 at 12.7, hits per nine at 5.8, and home runs allowed per nine innings at 0.6.
He also piled up 239 strikeouts in 169 innings, setting a new career high. For most of the year, he was exactly what an ace is supposed to be.
The issue is that Cam Schlittler was even better. The Yankees right-hander turned in a 1.95 ERA with a 215 ERA+ over 193.2 innings, and no pitcher in the league did a better job of keeping runs off the board.
That makes Schlittler the clear favorite, with Cease likely headed for second place ahead of Parker Messick. Even so, that would still be a huge nod for Cease after the season he put together.
Varland’s case is even stronger. He was the most overpowering arm in the American League bullpen for much of the year, and the numbers back it up.
Across 78 innings, he gave up just 11 earned runs for a 1.27 ERA and a 348 ERA+. He also surrendered only two homers and converted 35 of 37 save chances.
There’s a real argument that it was the best reliever season in Blue Jays history.
Bryan Baker of the Rays and Cade Smith of the Guardians were excellent too. They finished tied for the AL lead with 41 saves and both posted ERAs below 2.00. But Varland still separated himself from the pack.
The wrinkle, of course, is the Blue Jays’ place in the standings. Not making the playoffs could hurt Varland’s chances even though this is a regular-season award.
Voters may lean toward Baker because he pitched for the best team in the American League. On the other hand, Varland did all of this on a team that struggled, which only sharpens the case for how valuable he was.
However it plays out on November 11th, Cease and Varland gave Toronto something rare in a frustrating year: two players worth celebrating.
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The wrinkle for Toronto is that Parker is no longer just a bat-only prospect trying to survive at one position. He has started getting looks in left field and has also spent time at designated hitter, which gives the organization more ways to think about him if the offense keeps coming. He is still a long shot to reach the majors in 2027, but the combination of power and improved strike-zone control is creating a roster question the Blue Jays did not have to ask about him a year ago. [Read more 🡒]