Louis Varland has won AL Reliever of the Year, becoming the first Blue Jay to take home the award. It caps one of the best relief seasons in franchise history.

Varland beat out fellow finalists Cade Smith and Rays closer Bryan Baker, a former Blue Jay.

His 1.27 ERA was the lowest among all qualified relievers in baseball. He backed it up with 35 saves.

He struck out 97 batters and walked just 23 over 78 innings.

The closer job wasn't even his to start the year. He took over from Jeff Hoffman in late April and never gave it back.

How did Toronto land him? A deadline deal that keeps looking better.

Louis Varland's award raises the stakes on his trade value

The Jays acquired the 28-year-old from the Twins at the 2025 deadline. He went on to set the MLB postseason record for relief appearances during Toronto's World Series run.

Now comes the tricky part. Varland is arbitration-eligible as a Super Two, and his price is about to climb.

SI's Adam Steinmetz has argued Toronto should sell high, pointing to how quickly closers can fade. Jordan Romano's decline is the cautionary tale.

Others see him as untouchable. He led the bullpen in fWAR and anchors a relief group that returns its five most-used arms.

Keep him. Trading the best reliever in the AL right after he won the award would send the wrong message to a fan base still stinging from a last-place season.

Selling now would be like trading in your new car the day after it wins Car of the Year. Technically the value peaked, but you'd miss the drive.

His award joins Dylan Cease's Cy Young finalist nod as one of the few bright spots of 2026. Together, they give Toronto a strong pitching foundation.

Varland earned his hardware. The question for Ross Atkins is whether he'll still be closing games in Toronto when the next one is handed out.