Toronto Blue Jays closer Louis Varland, who has been absolutely lights out this year for Toronto, was named to his first MLB All-Star Game.
Varland is having an incredible season for the Blue Jays, posting a minuscule 0.96 ERA in 42 games for the Blue Jays. He also has a 2.4 bWAR and 18 saves so far this season, having taken over the team’s closing duties from former closer Jeff Hoffman in April.
On Saturday, during the MLB All-Star Game roster announcement show on FOX, Varland found out he will be an MLB All-Star for the first time as he is in the bullpen for the American League’s pitching staff.
The 2026 MLB All-Star Game takes place on Tuesday, July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Louis Varland Has Been Amazing
There is no question that Varland is having an absolutely unreal season for the Blue Jays, who picked up Varland from the Minnesota Twins last year in a trade.
He has proven that he has what it takes to be an elite closer in this league, and the Blue Jays still have him under control for four more seasons beyond this one, so he will be in Toronto for the long haul.
Blue Jays fans have been in love with Varland ever since the team picked him up last year from Minnesota, as he pitched very well during the team’s World Series run. It felt like Blue Jays manager John Schneider ran him out every game during the playoffs last year as Varland truly lived up to his billing of a pitcher who possesses a “rubber arm.”
This year, though, he has completely broken out for the team, which saw how good he was, and he took over the closing duties from Hoffman early in the season after the Blue Jays’ previous closer struggled badly to open the season.
It really feels like the Blue Jays got a good one with Varland, and he could be someone who is this team’s closer for a long time.
Dylan Cease Also Makes All-Star Team
In his first season for the Blue Jays, Dylan Cease was also named an All-Star for the American League.
A big-ticket free agent signing, Cease has been fantastic for the Blue Jays this season. He has started 16 games for Toronto, posting a 2.79 ERA with a 3.0 bWAR. He did deal with a minor injury earlier this season, but he came back and has been pitching extremely well since his return. In 90.1 IP, Cease leads the league with 137 strikeouts as he is a punchout machine for Toronto.
The Blue Jays have needed Cease to be as good as he has been, as many of the team’s other starters have been banged or ineffective when they have started.
So far, Cease is living up to his big contract as he’s been worth every penny the Blue Jays are paying him, and he looks like one of the best free-agent signings for any team this past offseason as he made the All-Star team in his first season with Toronto.
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