The Minnesota Twins are “having nightmares” about trading Louis Varland to the Toronto Blue Jays at last year’s MLB trade deadline.
Varland has been otherworldly for the Blue Jays this season. In 49 games, he has pitched to a minuscule 0.98 ERA with a 3.2 bWAR. He has also saved 23 games for Toronto and was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.
Last season, the Blue Jays traded Alan Roden and Kendry Rojas to the Twins for Varland and Ty France. Since the trade, Varland has turned into one of the most valuable relievers in all of baseball, and this trade is looking really bad for Minnesota in hindsight, especially as the team is surprisingly in contention for the playoffs this season.
Twins ‘Having Nightmares’ About Louis Varland Trade
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Twins are “having nightmares” about trading away Varland last season, after the reliever turned into an All-Star closer for Toronto this season.
“The Minnesota Twins, who are hanging around the AL Central race, still are having nightmares about trading away reliever Louis Varland a year ago. Varland, their popular homegrown kid, has become an All-Star closer in Toronto. If the Twins had kept him, they might be running away with the AL Central, but instead are desperately scrambling for bullpen help,” Nightengale wrote.
Without Varland, the Twins are looking for bullpen help this season, but had they kept him, then they would have had their own All-Star closer.
Of course, it’s possible that Varland wouldn’t have become the incredible pitcher he’s become in Toronto if he had stayed in Minnesota. But either way, that trade is not looking good for Minnesota, while it’s looking like a major steal for Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins.
Blue Jays Not Trading Louis Varland
Speaking of the Blue Jays, while Varland would undoubtedly be one of the top relievers available at this year’s MLB trade deadline if Toronto was willing to trade him, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Varland is not available in a trade.
“The biggest return would come if the Blue Jays made closer Louis Varland available. They’ve told teams that’s not happening,” Passan wrote in his MLB trade deadline preview.
Varland still has four more years of team control beyond this one, so it makes sense why Toronto wants to hold onto him despite having a down year and being unlikely to make the playoffs this year, since he can still be with the team for at least four more seasons.
That being said, if another team offered Toronto a monster trade package that brought back several high-end prospects and MLB-ready players, perhaps the Blue Jays should at least consider a trade, since it could help jumpstart the team’s retool after a down year.
Either way, the Varland trade is one that the Twins surely regret doing, as Varland is nothing but a stud reliever for Toronto now, and one who would have helped Minnesota in their push to make the playoffs this season.
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