Why the 2026 Blue Jays Unofficial Closer is the Best Reliever in the American League
Toronto’s Louis Varland received AL Reliever of the month for March and April but was snubbed this time despite a 0.00 ERA in May. The accolade was instead given to Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians, who had a 1.32 ERA. This wasn’t about spreading the wealth because San Diego Padres’ Mason Millerwon all three months for the National League. Varland’s story has been an exciting one to follow this season as he’s gradually taken the closer role from all-star Jeff Hoffman. The veteran's struggles were hurting his team, which meant the Blue Jays needed a new closer. 28-year-old Varland was ready to step in before manager John Schneider was ready to let him.
The righty has been successful in all 11 of the save opportunities he’s been given since he bailed out Hoffman on April 21st. He also has five holds, three wins, and only one loss in the 32 games he’s pitched this year. The loss was all the way back on March 30th, and the run given up wasn’t even earned. In fact, he just gave up his second earned run of the year on Wednesday. The only one before that was on April 25th against the Guardians, and he still got the save that day. The most recent run brought his ERA up to .50 from .26. The 28-year-old had a 0.00 ERA for his first 12 games until he earned that first run, bringing it to a .64 ERA, his highest of the season.
Smith’s ERA for 2026 is 2.67. In 29 games, he’s had 21 saves, but he had a head start. The argument for the Guardian reliever’s May win could be that he saved all 13 games played that month. He also had the most saves last month and leads the league with 21. The 27-year-old threw 25 strikeouts in 13 ⅔ innings but gave up three runs with two of those earned. Varland played 13 games in May as well but only had four save opportunities. However, he also recorded two holds and a win.
While the righty is an amazing closer, Schneider still likes to use him in other situations, which may be why he hasn’t officially been named closer yet. He’ll use his best reliever when the team needs him most, and that may not always be in the ninth inning. The 28-year-old even recorded a two-inning save on May 22nd with three strikeouts. Despite playing the same number of games last month, Varland pitched more innings than Smith at 15, though he only had 16 strikeouts. While the 27-year-old may have been the better closer on paper last month, the Jays have a more versatile reliever.
Toronto’s pitching staff has been a mess when it comes to injuries, so they’ve needed Varland’s skills to assist with multiple bullpen starts. However, now that they’re back to five starters, and Hoffman still hurts his team when pitching anywhere close to the ninth, the unofficial closer might get more chances. In the first nine days of June, Varland already has three saves in four games, while Smith only has one in his two appearances. The reason the 28-year-old doesn’t have a fourth save is that he earned a win instead. His ERA this month is also only 1.93 to Smith’s 3.38. Despite May’s loss. Toronto’s most valuable reliever is well on his way to redemption and becoming the best American League Reliever of June.
