The Toronto Blue Jays are almost certainly going to be sellers in some capacity over the next week. The question is just how deep the sell-off will go.
Pending free agents are the obvious and easy candidates to be dealt, however, ESPN insider Buster Olney has been hearing that it’s possible Toronto could opt to move a bigger name with club control: star closer Louis Varland.
“I’ve had other teams speculate to me that they believe that the Blue Jays will put Louis Varland, at least dangle him out there like what would you give us for him? Because relief pitchers as we’ve talked about in the past their performance is so volatile. There’s no question that they would do well you know in terms of a prospect return. I do think if they legitimately dangled him out there that he probably would be the most coveted reliever available if Mason Miller was not made available,”
The 28-year-old Varland is under team control through 2030 and isn’t eligible for free agency until 2031. He has racked up 22 saves and five holds while sporting a sparkling 1.02 ERA and a 3-3 record in 48 appearances so far this season.
While moving Varland, who has become a fan favorite, would sting, Olney is right that relief pitchers can be volatile. Getting a significant return at peak value could help expedite the Blue Jays’ retool as they look to compete in 2027.
It’s still more likely than not that Varland stays in Toronto, but if a team blows Ross Atkins’ socks off with an offer, he’ll surely have to consider it. The former Minnesota Twin wasn’t necessarily expected to be dealt at last year’s deadline either, though we saw the Blue Jays pony up with two top-10 prospects at the time to force their hand.
