New Toronto Blue Jays reliever Louis Varland is the real deal and soon to be a fan favorite
Photo credit: https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/
The Toronto Blue Jays latest addition of Louis Varland to the bullpen might have been the best acquisition general manager Ross Atkins made at this years trade deadline.
The monster acquisition of Varland has significantly strengthened the Blue Jays' bullpen, so much so that he's emerged as one of, if not the most exciting and reliable, arms in the entire back-end.
The Blue Jays brass believe in Varland's stuff to the point where they were willing to part ways with their 5th-ranked prospect, Kendrys Rojas, as well as Alan Roden.
There is a ton to love about Varland. He throws 98 mph heat, owns a 2.02 ERA this season, and is under team control until 2031... plenty of reason for Jays fans to be thrilled with this move, especially during a time where the bullpen needed reinforcements.
MLB.com's Keegan Matheson asked Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins how long he'd known about Varland's stuff and when he started to court him.
When Ross Atkins was asked how far back the talks for reliever Louis Varland went, he said it's been at least two years. They changed as Varland became a reliever, but the Blue Jays stayed involved long-term. Collaboration is important in an MLB front office, but so is yearning.
The addition of Louis Varland to Toronto's pitching staff immediately impacts the Blue Jays bullpen
The 27-year-old is a beast when it comes to ground balls and limiting hard contact, shown by his elite 55.6 ground ball rate, which places him in the 94th percentile.
Varland relies on five pitches. His fastball and knuckle curve are used the most, while he mixes in a sinker, slider, and changeup.
His fastball gets the love it deserves, but his knuckle curve, which he throws 37% of the time, is just as impressive.
So far in 2025, his knuckle curve has produced a .169 batting average against and a 39.7 whiff rate, elite stuff...just ask Bo Bichette.
Louis Varland, Wicked 90mph Knuckle Curve...and Sword. ⚔️
Ross Atkins feels strongly about how much of an impact Varland will make in the bullpen down the stretch.
«We were very aggressive in trying to acquire him,» Atkins said. «He has been very effective this year as a reliever, has as good of a fastball as you can find and as good of a curveball as you can find with a very effective cutter. He can sink it. He is extremely aggressive. He's coming after you. And that's attractive to us. So immediately impacts our bullpen in a significant way.»
Interestingly, it's possible the Blue Jays will stretch Varland out as a starting pitcher in the future, though that's not under discussion for 2025.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 1 | 291 ANSWERS New Toronto Blue Jays reliever Louis Varland is the real deal and soon to be a fan favorite Are you excited about new reliever Louis Varland's potential impact in the blue Jays bullpen? | ||
| Yes | 237 | 81.4 % |
| No | 11 | 3.8 % |
| Too early to tell | 43 | 14.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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