"That became a regular occurrence down the stretch of the Toronto Blue Jays' magical 2025 season, as Varland, acquired from the Minnesota Twins ahead of last year's trade deadline, morphed into manager John Schneider's most trusted and dependable reliever. He became the franchise's always-available arm. Throughout baseball's rich history, no pitcher had made more than 14 appearances in a single post-season, as former Blue Jays hurler Brandon Morrow (2017) and Paul Assenmacher (1997) both shared that playoff record."
"The 28-year-old reliever, who owned just two-thirds of an inning of post-season experience prior to last fall, appeared in 15 out of a possible 18 games, making 14 appearances out of the 'pen and one as an opener. Varland became a workhorse for the Blue Jays, logging 16 innings in the post-season, on top of the career-high 72.2 innings he compiled during the regular season split between Minnesota and Toronto, which also marked his first as a full-time reliever."
Louis Varland transitioned into a high-leverage reliever after being acquired from the Minnesota Twins and became Toronto's most trusted bullpen option. He appeared in 15 of 18 postseason games, making 14 bullpen appearances and one start as an opener, breaking the long-standing playoff appearances record and logging 16 postseason innings. Varland also posted a career-high 72.2 regular-season innings across Minnesota and Toronto in his first full season as a reliever. He arrives to big-league camp as the bullpen's biggest X-factor, offering versatility and workhorse durability while Yimi García returns from an injury-riddled 2025 campaign.
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