Toronto Blue Jays 2026 Reliever of the Year

The 2026 Toronto Blue Jays will be remembered as a team that fell short of everyone's expectations. The offence never got going all year, and rotation injuries tested the team's pitching depth early and often. In the end, the Blue Jays bullpen became the team's most reliable unit all season. 

The relievers combined for a 3.57 ERA, the seventh-best in baseball, while leading the majors with 686.2 IP; their run prevention and workload made the bullpen a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season. 

A dominant bullpen isn't everything, but it's certainly key to racking up wins and reaching the postseason. In fact, eight of the top 10 teams in bullpen ERA made the playoffs, with the Blue Jays (7th) and Mets (10th) the only exceptions. Still, a strong bullpen doesn’t guarantee anything. The Blue Jays' relievers helped the team stay competitive despite the rest of the roster's struggles.

With that in mind, let's look at the bullpen's season standouts before naming one of them the Jays Centre Reliever of the Year.

Honourable Mentions

Braydon Fisher

• 2026 Stats: 3.21 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 9.7% K-BB%, 1.66 WPA, 0.0 fWAR, 75.2 IP

Braydon Fisher's sophomore campaign with the Blue Jays was quietly effective. The 25-year-old right-hander appeared in 75 games this season, a top-10 mark, and filled several roles. In fact, Fisher was one of only four pitchers in baseball to reach double digits in both games started and games finished this season, and the first Blue Jay to do so since Kelvim Escobar in 2003. This gave John Schneider a reliable option at any point in the ballgame

Fisher still has room to improve, particularly in limiting walks and preventing baserunners from scoring, and a gap existed between his ERA and his xERA and FIP numbers. However, his ability to shoulder a substantial workload made him a valuable contributor to the Blue Jays bullpen in 2026, and the team should rely on him heavily again in 2027. 

Jeff Hoffman

• 2026 stats (with Blue Jays): 3.94 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 26.5% K-BB%, -1.75 WPA, 1.1 fWAR, 48.0 IP

Jeff Hoffman's time in Toronto was a tale of two seasons. After struggling early and losing the closer role, he settled into a much more effective stretch before the Twins acquired him at the trade deadline. Hoffman still ranked fifth on the team in appearances and led the team in K-BB% (min. 10 IP).

Between losing the closer's job and being traded, Hoffman posted a 3.11 ERA and 2.38 FIP and was otherwise dominant, striking out 52 batters while issuing just 12 walks over 38.2 innings. His 26.5% strikeout-minus-walk rate with Toronto was the best among pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched, highlighting his ability to miss bats and limit free passes.

His negative WPA reflects the damage done in high-leverage situations, particularly early in the season; that and a midseason trade is why he didn't finish higher on this list. Still, his strong underlying numbers and effective finish in Toronto make him worthy of an honourable mention, even though he didn't finish the season with the Blue Jays.

Mason Fluharty

• 2026 stats: 3.30 ERA, 3.66 FIP, 14.1% K-BB%, 0.95 WPA, 0.6 fWAR, 62.2 IP

No pitcher in baseball appeared in more games this season than Mason Fluharty. His 83 appearances reflect John Schnieders trust in the left-hander's performance and his ability to stay healthy while handling a demanding workload.

Fluharty’s 83 appearances led the majors and rank second in franchise history, behind Mark Eichhorn’s 89-game campaign in 1987. Fluharty also excelled at inducing soft contact, finishing in the top five percent of pitchers in both average exit velocity and expected batting average against. This shows how hard it was for opposing hitters to square up the ball against him.

After such a heavy workload, how Fluharty adjusts heading into 2027 will be worth watching. Regardless, his durability and ability to limit quality contact made him a key part of the Jays bullpen this season, and the Jays will rely on him again as their top left-handed relief option in 2027.

No. 3: Spencer Miles

• 2026 stats: 2.63 ERA, 2.65 FIP, 17.5% K-BB%, 2.08 WPA, 2.0 fWAR, 95.2 IP

What a season Spencer Miles put together. After being selected by Toronto in the Rule 5 draft, Miles made the team out of spring training and quickly became one of the Blue Jays' most versatile pitchers.

Miles took on several roles throughout the season, moving between the starting rotation, opener duties, and bulk relief before eventually earning opportunities in high-leverage situations. No matter how the Blue Jays deployed him, he delivered. His 2.63 ERA was nearly identical to his 2.65 FIP, suggesting his run prevention was supported by his underlying performance.

Miles’s workload exceeded expectations: after just 14.2 professional innings before this season, he jumped to 95.2 innings pitched while contributing in a variety of situations. Hardly anyone would have expected this sort of performance from Miles coming into the year, but he looked poised beyond his years and dominated in his rookie season. Heading into 2027, his role remains an interesting question, but his rookie season has given the team plenty of reasons to trust him with important innings.

No. 2: Tyler Rogers

• 2026 Stats: 1.77 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 6.1% K-BB%, 2.20 WPA, 1.1 fWAR, 71 IP

Tyler Rogers made an immediate impact in the first year of his three-year, $37 million contract with Toronto. The 35-year-old submariner posted a 1.77 ERA, second among Blue Jays pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched, while leading the majors with 33 holds.

Rogers continued to excel at limiting hard contact, leading the Blue Jays in barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and average exit velocity against. As he has throughout his career, his 63.7% ground-ball rate was another major strength, letting him consistently generate grounders rather than rely on strikeouts to get outs.

While his ability to suppress contact and generate ground balls produced excellent results, his strikeout and walk numbers suggest a different picture than his ERA alone. Both numbers have dipped compared to recent seasons, but that may matter less for a pitcher as unique as Rogers; it doesn't diminish the season he delivered, it just adds context to how he succeeded.

Rogers was one of Toronto's most effective relievers in 2026 and should remain an important bullpen piece heading into next season.

No. 1: Louis Varland

• 2026 stats: 1.27 ERA, 1.83 FIP, 24.1% K-BB%, 3.80 WPA, 3.1 fWAR, 78.0 IP

Louis Varland was the clear choice for the Blue Jays' Reliever of the Year. He paired an elite 1.27 ERA with a 1.83 FIP. With a 24.1% strikeout-minus-walk rate, Varland combined outstanding run prevention with the ability to miss bats and limit free passes. It meant it was lights out for the opposition in the ninth inning. 

Varland didn't take over as the Blue Jays' closer until late April, but he quickly became the team's go-to option in the ninth inning. After starting the season without a save in his career, he finished with 35, anchoring the back end of the bullpen while also recording multiple six-out saves when the Blue Jays needed more than three outs.

His 3.80 WPA was the best on the team and ranked among the best reliever performances in baseball this season. That number is also the highest for any Blue Jays pitcher since Jordan Romano in 2021 (3.82). With 3.1 fWAR in 78 innings, Varland's season stands out not only for his impressive run prevention but also for the value he provided throughout the year. 

Tyler Rogers had an outstanding season, and in any other year, he would have been a winner. Still, Varland's advantage in ERA, FIP, strikeout-minus-walk rate, WPA, and fWAR, and his becoming one of the best relievers in all of baseball, make it an easy choice. He was the Blue Jays' most dominant and impactful reliever in 2026, and the Blue Jays will once again count on him in high-leverage situations next season.

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