I thought the Toronto Blue Jays had acquired the premier setup man they needed at the trade deadline — and one with several years of additional club control at that — when they acquired Louis Varland from the Minnesota Twins. Varland hadn't garnered much national praise, but he's always had electric stuff and was seemingly only getting better with Minnesota.
Pre-trade, he had a 2.02 ERA in 51 appearances and 49 innings of work, while also racking up 17 holds. Post-trade, though, Varland really struggled. He had a 7.36 ERA through his first 16 Blue Jays appearances, allowing at least one run in nine of the 16 times he took the mound. For a while, it felt like arguably the biggest swing the Jays took at the deadline was a complete whiff.
To say the narrative has completely flipped would be an understatement. Varland allowed just one run in his last nine regular season innings, and he's carried the positive momentum into the postseason.
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Louis Varland has been the reliever the Jays expected when it matters most
He's allowed three home runs, all of which were momentum-altering mistakes by Varland, and that should be taken into account, but other than that, he's been nothing short of outstanding for Toronto.
He's allowed three runs on seven hits in 9.2 innings and has struck out 13 batters compared to one walk. Perhaps more impressively, Varland has made nine appearances this October. For reference, the Jays have played in just 10 postseason games. Varland has appeared in all but one of Toronto's postseason games, and he's gone beyond an inning three times.
Those nine appearances lead all postseason pitchers. Two Seattle Mariners relievers have made eight postseason appearances, but the Mariners have also played one more game than the Blue Jays. Varland has been used constantly, and for the most part, he's been extremely reliable.
Given that, the question of where would the Blue Jays be without him, must be asked.
Louis Varland is an underrated reason why the Blue Jays remain alive
Seven Blue Jays relievers have made at least four postseason appearances. Here's a look at how those relievers have done:
- Louis Varland: 9 appearances, 9.2 IP, 3 ER, 2.79 ERA
- Mason Fluharty: 7 appearances, 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 6.23 ERA
- Seranthony Dominguez: 6 appearances, 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 4.76 ERA
- Braydon Fisher: 5 appearances, 3.2 IP, 3 ER, 7.16 ERA
- Jeff Hoffman: 5 appearances, 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 1.42 ERA
- Brendon Little: 5 appearances, 3.0 IP, 4 ER, 12.00 ERA
- Yariel Rodriguez: 4 appearances, 2.2 IP, 3 ER, 10.13 ERA
Jeff Hoffman has pitched well when John Schneider has been willing to use him, but who else has been reliable in this 'pen? Admittedly, some of these ERAs are a bit higher than performances would indicate, but for the most part, the bullpen has been the biggest Achilles heel for the Jays this October. Their 6.02 bullpen ERA these playoffs ranks 10th among the 12 postseason teams.
Having Varland available and pitching well seemingly every single day, while the other non-Hoffman relievers have been mostly unreliable, has been such a gift for Schneider, and the Jays' manager has taken advantage of that gift.
If the Jays are able to advance to and potentially win the World Series, Varland must be seen as a huge reason why. With how their bullpen has performed this postseason, it's hard to envision Toronto getting this far without using Varland as often as it has. Because of this, the trade Blue Jays fans were most frustrated by, has now turned into a massive success story. With several more years of club control, this deal could be one Jays fans look back on as one of their best in recent memory, sooner rather than later.