Breaking Down Sneaky Good Addition of Louis Varland for Blue Jays
In this story:
It has been a fantastic stretch of late for the Toronto Blue Jays, who have established themselves as the team to beat in the American League East.
Despite a bit of a sluggish start to the season, the Blue Jays have been playing excellent baseball of late and could very well win their division.
At the trade deadline, Toronto had a couple of needs that they were looking to address, and the front office seemingly did a nice job.
More News: Blue Jays Provide Encouraging Update Regarding Rehab of Two Former All-Star Pitchers
The most significant splash that they made was the addition of former AL Cy Young award winner Shane Bieber. Even though the right-hander has yet to pitch this year, he is getting closer to returning from Tommy John surgery and could be a game-changer if healthy.
Furthermore, they made some nice additions to their bullpen with Seranthony Dominguez coming over from the Baltimore Orioles. However, the real potentially sneaky good move that the team made was with the Minnesota Twins for their talented setup man.
More News: Blue Jays Activate Newly Acquired Players, Place Star Outfielder on Injured List
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about newcomer Louis Varland potentially being a sneaky good pickup for the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline.
“He joins fellow newcomer Seranthony Domínguez and incumbents Brendon Little, Yariel Rodríguez and Jeff Hoffman to give the Blue Jays a potentially dominant late-inning contingent.”
While the Twins were expected to be sellers, the extent to which they went was shocking. They gutted nearly the entire team, and Toronto was able to be one of the beneficiaries of the fire sale.
In addition to getting Varland, they also received Ty France in the deal to provide some more depth in their infield. However, it was the right-hander that was the real prize.
More News: Blue Jays Pay High Price in Trade with Twins for Reliever, Veteran Bat
Minnesota had one of the best bullpens in the league just a couple of days ago with the fantastic trio of Varland, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. However, they are all pitching on different teams now.
For the Blue Jays, the right-hander is going to be coming in a high-leverage role with the franchise. So far this campaign, he has totaled a 1.98 ERA and 17 holds in 50 innings pitched.
This season, the pitching staff for the Blue Jays has been in the middle of the pack for the most part. However, with the addition of Bieber to the rotation and Dominguez and Varland to the bullpen, the staff should be seeing some significant improvement.
Even though Varland might not have been the most popular name among Twins relief pitchers, Toronto made a sneaky good addition with him.
For more Blue Jays news, head over to Blue Jays On SI.
Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20.