The Blue Jays are still in the American League Wild Card hunt, sitting 1.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final spot as of Tuesday morning. And if Toronto is going to keep pushing, the back end of games has to stay clean. That usually starts and ends with Louis Varland.
Varland has turned into one of the season’s biggest bullpen surprises, and Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller put him in the breakout-closer conversation alongside Bryan Baker and Jacob Latz.
"In [Bryan] Baker, [Jacob] Latz and Varland, what a year it has been for breakout closers in the American League," Miller wrote.
What makes Varland’s rise stand out is how quickly it happened. Miller noted that "Prior to this season, Varland had never saved a game in the majors or the minors, and he only got the job because Jeff Hoffman couldn't save anything through the first three weeks," before adding that "He has been nearly perfect, though, going 31-for-32 in save chances with a minuscule 1.12 ERA."
That kind of production earned Varland his first All-Star nod at this year’s Midsummer Classic. He’s struck out 31.5% of the batters he’s faced in 2026 and has allowed just 6.4 hits per nine innings.
If Toronto does get into October, Varland looks like exactly the kind of arm no opponent wants waiting in the ninth inning or beyond. And for Blue Jays fans, there’s another big reason to feel good: he won’t hit free agency until after the 2030 season.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Roster Shift Puts September Upgrades In Focus
The Blue Jays cleared a spot by optioning pitcher CJ Van Eyk to Triple-A Buffalo, a move that fits the way they have handled the late stages of a season when the focus turns from filling innings to sorting out what comes next. Van Eyk put together a solid minor league year, but his brief time in the majors did not amount to much, making him the kind of roster piece Toronto can shuffle without much disruption as the calendar flips toward September.
Toronto is expected to add three players to its 28-man roster for the month, and the timing makes this more than a routine transaction. Ricky Tiedemann is among the names in the mix, along with prospect Sean Keys, giving the Blue Jays a chance to reward development while also adding fresh options for the stretch run. The corresponding move for Van Eyk has not been announced yet, which only adds a little more intrigue to how the roster will take shape from here. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Suddenly Have A Bigger Spencer Arrighetti Problem
Spencer Arrighettis early-season run with Houston looked like the kind of breakout that can change a young pitchers profile quickly, but the last few months have turned into a far shakier picture. Since late May, he has been stuck in a winless stretch while allowing more home runs, and the pattern has been tough to miss for anyone tracking his outings. For the Blue Jays, that kind of slide matters because it puts a spotlight on how a pitchers stuff holds up once opponents begin to adjust.
The biggest concern has been the fastball, which has taken the brunt of the damage as hitters have done more with it than they did earlier in the year. Arrighetti and the team are trying to sort through what has changed and how to get him back on track, but the longer the struggles continue, the more urgent the fix becomes. For Toronto, it is less about one bad stretch than what it might mean if the current version of Arrighetti is the one they keep seeing. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Make A Telling Pitching Change Before Guardians Series
The Blue Jays are trying something a little different as they prepare for their series against the Guardians, turning to right-hander Spencer Miles to open the game and setting up Spencer Arrighetti to handle the bulk of the innings. It is a notable pivot for a Toronto pitching staff that has leaned on Miles as a steady bullpen piece this season, and the move reflects a desire to get more out of Arrighetti after his arrival by trade.
Miles has been one of the more dependable arms in the relief mix, working in 42 games with a 5-2 record and a 2.92 ERA. Arrighettis early run in Toronto has been a tougher watch, and the opener plan is designed to help him settle into a better rhythm while giving the Blue Jays a different look against Cleveland. [Read more 🡒]