Louis Varland: 16 IP, 26 Ks, 0.56 ERA, 4 saves Mason Miller: 15.1 IP, 29 Ks, 1.17 ERA, 10 saves Your AL and NL Relievers of the Month for March/April!
Blue Jays’ Louis Varland named American League Reliever of the Month
Photo credit: © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
May 4, 2026, 14:45 EDT
On Monday morning, Major League Baseball announced that Toronto Blue Jays’ Louis Varland was named American League Reliever of the month for March/April.
Varland has dazzled early, posting a record of 1-1, an ERA of 0.53, and a WHIP of 1.06 through his first 16 appearances of the 2026 regular season. Over 17 innings, Varland allowed only one earned run, striking out 28 batters, tied for the third most in MLB with fellow Blue Jay Jeff Hoffman among all relievers.
After working in a setup role to begin the season, Varland was thrust into the closer’s position due to Hoffman’s struggles in the ninth inning. On April 24, three days following his first career close, the Blue Jays announced that they were moving to a closer-by-committee, but in the three save opportunities since the statement, Varland has claimed them all, and closed all three out.
Varland’s first opportunity as the Blue Jays’ primary closer came on April 25, which happened to be his rockiest outing of 2026. The reliever allowed one run on three hits, and one walk before buckling down and striking out Bo Naylor and Brayan Rocchio with runners on second and third to secure his second save of 2026.
He got the nod the next day, closing out a 4-2 Blue Jays win, and looking every bit the part with his electric fastball, and hard knuckle curve. The outing included strikeouts of both Steven Kwan and Angel Martínez, two of the Cleveland Guardians’ best hitters.
On April 28, Varland put together one of his most impressive outings since becoming a Blue Jay. Holding a 3-0 lead over the Boston Red Sox, Varland entered in the ninth inning with the Red Sox’s heart of the order, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, and Trevor Story awaiting. Varland struck out all three of these dangerous hitters, needing only 15 pitches (13 strikes), to wrap up his final outing of April.
Varland’s advanced analytics are off the charts through the early portions of 2026. The 28-year-old has allowed zero barrels, has an expected batting average against of .164 (compared to his .220 actual average against), and a strikeout percentage of 43.1%, ranking in the 99th percentile in MLB.
As the Blue Jays hunt for better health, and greater success in the months to come, they have found an elite arm and lock down closer who remains under team control until the completion of the 2030 season.
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