Will Louis Varland join the Toronto Blue Jays rotation in 2026?
Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Toronto Blue Jays may already have their fifth starter in Louis Varland.
Ross Atkins tried to snag Louis Varland from the Twins two years before the Blue Jays landed landed him in a trade at this years deadline for Alan Roden.
Like many big league relievers, Varland began his career as a starter. That's how he was primarily used in the minor leagues after being drafted.
In 2022 that's what Atkins was looking for at the time, so when Varland became a reliever, the talks initially fizzled out.
Varland only started five games that year, but had a 3.81 ERA and 4.30 FIP in 26 innings pitched in that span. Of the 17 games he appeared in during the 2023 season, 10 of them were starts.
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 #BlueJays stayed involved long-term. Collaboration is important in an MLB front office, but so is yearning.
Even though the Blue Jays were looking for a high leverage reliever at the trade deadline, Atkins has said that stretching him out to become a starter in the future is not off the table.
Atkins mentioned liking Louis Varland for years, before he turned into a full-time RP. He'll slot into the pen this year, but Blue Jays are open to SP possibility in the future:
"We're open to that, but want to explore that with him. Want to get to know him on a personal level."
"We're open to that, but want to explore that with him. Want to get to know him on a personal level."
Converting relievers back to starters is a growing trend around the league
It's become a trend for relievers with starting experience to garner interest for rotation jobs around the league.
For players like Reynaldo Lopez, Seth Lugo, and Michael King, the move has gone incredibly well and ended in them garnering attention in Cy Young conversations.
For others, like former Blue Jays reliever Jordan Hicks, the move doesn't go quite so swimmingly.
Since signing with the Giants as a starter during the 2023-24 offseason, Hicks has a 5.19 ERA across 177 innings and ultimately had his contract dumped in a trade with the Red Sox, where he served as a salary offset in the Rafael Devers deal.
For teams, converting a reliever into a starter affords them a chance at a top-shelf arm at a steep bargain compared to the nine-figure contracts routinely commanded by the league's established front-end arms.
For the player, meanwhile, the chance to return to starting could mean that a team is willing to invest in a more substantial contract than they would be for a less-than-elite reliever and could mean an even more substantial contract if they find success.
If the Blue Jays decide to revert Varland back into a starter it will be intriguing to see how it works out.
The worst that can happen is Varland will be moved back to the bullpen where he would still be very effective.
Varland has proved to be durable and dependable when he broke the postseason record for appearances with 15.
Louis Varland: DEPENDABLE 💯 #WANTITALL
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 23 | 565 ANSWERS Will Louis Varland join the Toronto Blue Jays rotation in 2026? Would you rather see Louis Varland in the Blue Jays rotation or out of the bullpen? | ||
| Rotation | 154 | 27.3 % |
| Bullpen | 411 | 72.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
