Why the Blue Jays need to prioritize retaining their closer
Photo credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images
By Nick Prasad
Jul 31, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 31, 2026, 09:10 EDT
There’s no doubt right now that the Toronto Blue Jays will be sellers in the next couple of days. There are many pieces that make sense to be moved, however the closer role needs to stay intact. Louis Varland needs to remain a Blue Jay.
Toronto’s 2026 fate was the fear that the fanbase did not want to face. To go from almost World Series champions to the worst team in the American League East was beyond the fear or expectations.
The Blue Jays sit dead last in the AL East, 14.5 games back of first place, and six spots out of the last wild card spot at 5.5 games behind. This isn’t a far stretch, however the current performance of the club doesn’t project any hope of a healthy win streak.
Various names will now be discussed regarding contracts and the trade deadline. Who could be a part of the yard sale? The talks include Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho, George Springer, Dylan Cease, and more.
Who should the Blue Jays retain? Their newly found closer, Varland.
Louis Varland should not only be retained, but extended
The hardest piece to find and keep within baseball is a closer; this position has such a high turnover rate and failure rate. The Blue Jays have worked through some closer options within their years.
Mike Timlin, Miguel Batista, Terry Adams, Jason Frasor, B.J. Ryan, Scott Downs, Roberto Osuna, and Jordan Romano were the building blocks of Blue Jays closers these past few years. Most recently, Jeff Hoffman was the guy, until his unreliability tainted his trust in the role.
Varland was placed in the closer role as a supplement and boy did he ever fit in without any issue. We all knew Varland was a high leverage reliever; due to his abilities, he was fitting into almost any predicament the team put him in.
Finally, the ninth-inning stopper role was a test and it was clear that he needed to be there. He brings a competitive edge to the bullpen and puts the team in a situation to win when the ball is passed over to him.
Varland ranks within the top-10 ranked MLB closers according to ESPN. He ranks eighth, right under Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran, and right above New York Yankees closer David Bednar.
Varland has pitched in 48 games, 53 innings total with 22 saves, 100% save rate with none blown, and a 1.02 ERA.
The Blue Jays employ an elite closer
Without a doubt, Varland sits at the table with the top closers in baseball; this pertains to not only his seasonal statistics, but his efficiency, dominance, command, and metrics.
The right-handed reliever has a five-pitch mix that’s dominated by a heavy heater. The fastball he throws is hot, working at an average of 98.6 MPH, maxing out at 101 MPH with some more in the tank to offer. He has a 5 to 7 MPH separation between his changeup and his fastball.
This pitch has a 25.8% put-away percentage and is responsible for the majority of his strikeouts, at 33. Varland forces above a 50% groundout rate with a 44.1% AIR.
A comparison between pitchers pertaining to pitch profile, pitch selections, and performance would have Varland and Red Sox starter Sonny Gray in the same conversation. Despite the fact that they’re different in pitching roles, their characteristics match up.
Both pitchers carry a deep and similar pitch selection, similar release points, and ability to command with more than just the fastball. Their baseball IQ is similar, and they’re effective in various counts.
Gray is a pitcher with a record of 13-2, and is on pace for a Cy Young consideration. Just the mere comparison between the two makes Varland a hot topic. The other comparable with regard to pitch efficiencies, closer success, and intensity is another Boston Red Sox arm, closer Aroldis Chapman.
Chapman is ranked fifth-best closer by ESPN. How far off is Varland from him, statistics-wise?
Chapman’s ERA is 1.72, while Varland is 0.98. Chapman has thrown 36.2 innings with 26 saves and two blown saves with a 92.8% save rate.
Varland has thrown 55 innings with 23 saves, none blown and 100% save rate. Both of these closers show high value within their roles. Varland specifically has made a name for himself in the Blue Jays closer role, therefore that should be his job moving forward with the organization.
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