Varland's Rise in Toronto Stings as Twins Bullpen Crumbles

Key facts

• Louis Varland was traded from the Twins to the Blue Jays on July 30, 2025.
• Varland has a 0.56 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 16 innings this season.
• Varland's 1.0 fWAR leads all American League relievers.
• The Twins bullpen has a 5.31 ERA (25th in MLB) and -1.58 Win Probability Added (27th).
• Varland set a playoff record with 15 appearances last postseason.
• The Twins received LHP Kendry Rojas and OF Alan Roden in the trade.
• Rojas has thrown 12.1 scoreless innings across minors and MLB debut; Roden is out with a labrum tear.
• Varland is not eligible for free agency until after the 2030 season.

A Painful Homecoming

Louis Varland walked into Target Field on Thursday not as a Twin but as a Toronto Blue Jay, the reliever his hometown team traded away nine months ago now returning as a budding star. The 28-year-old North St. Paul native entered the four-game series with a 0.56 ERA, having allowed just one earned run over 16 innings while striking out 26 batters. He had earned three consecutive saves since the Blue Jays shifted to a closer-by-committee approach last week. For the Minnesota Twins, his arrival could not have come at a worse time. The team had just suffered its 10th and 11th losses in 13 games, dropping five games below.500. Their bullpen, a unit Varland might have anchored, ranks 25th in baseball with a 5.31 ERA and 27th in Win Probability Added at minus-1.58.

The Trade That Shook the Fanbase

The Twins dealt Varland at the July 2025 trade deadline, sending him to Toronto for left-handed pitcher Kendry Rojas and outfielder Alan Roden. General manager Jeremy Zoll called the decision "one of the tougher ones from last July," acknowledging the difficulty of parting with a player of Varland's talent and local appeal. Varland himself was stunned and upset by the news, Zoll said. The trade was controversial from the start. Varland, then a developing reliever, had five years of club control remaining and was seen as a potential long-term leader of a rebuilding bullpen. The Twins, however, felt Toronto overpaid: Rojas, 23, has started the season with 12 1/3 scoreless innings between the minors and his major-league debut, and Roden was viewed as a promising hitter before suffering a right shoulder labrum tear that will sideline him at least four weeks.

Varland's Meteoric Rise in Toronto

Since arriving in Toronto, Varland has transformed into one of the most dominant relievers in the American League. His fastball now averages 98 mph, and his strikeout rate (43%), FIP (0.63) and fWAR (1.0) all lead the league among relievers. He has not allowed a home run this season, and his 26-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio reflects pinpoint command. Varland's changeup, a pitch Toronto's scouts identified as underutilized, has become a key weapon: five of his strikeouts this season have come on changeups, compared to two all of last year. In the postseason, he set a record with 15 appearances, striking out 17 in 16 innings with a 3.94 ERA. Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman called his acquisition "one of the greatest trades we've ever made."

Twins Bullpen in Free Fall

While Varland thrives, the Twins bullpen has been a glaring weakness. In a recent loss to the Mariners, Kody Funderburk allowed an inherited runner to score, Cole Sands gave up a three-run homer to Josh Naylor, and newly acquired Luis García — waived by the Mets after a 7.11 ERA in six appearances — allowed two more runs. The next night, Eric Orze entered a one-run game in the ninth and surrendered three earned runs while recording just one out. These meltdowns have been costly. The Twins have lost 11 of their last 13 games, and their bullpen's collective fWAR of 0.4 is less than half of Varland's individual mark. "It was always a matter of time before he would figure things out," Twins reliever Cole Sands said of Varland. "What you're seeing now is he's got some experience and it's really clicking."

The Return: Rojas and Roden

The Twins are banking on Kendry Rojas to eventually ease the sting of the Varland trade. The hard-throwing lefty, who can reach upper-90s with his fastball, has looked sharp in camp and in his early outings for Triple-A St. Paul. He made his major league debut last week, tossing two scoreless innings, before being optioned back to the minors. The Twins view him as a potential mid-rotation starter or high-leverage reliever. Alan Roden, the other piece, has been less fortunate. The outfielder began the season at Triple-A but is now sidelined with a labrum tear in his right shoulder, an injury that will keep him out for at least a month. "We're really excited," Zoll said of the prospects. "Unfortunately, you have to make some hard calls along the way."

What Comes Next

For now, the contrast is stark. Varland is becoming exactly the kind of late-inning force the Twins desperately lack — dominant, reliable, game-altering — just in someone else's bullpen. He is under team control through 2030, meaning Toronto will benefit from his prime years. The Twins, meanwhile, are left searching for answers in the innings that matter most, hoping Rojas can eventually bridge the gap. Varland himself is focused on the present. "Things are just working out, just doing my job and taking it one pitch, one day at a time," he said. As for his return to Minneapolis, he called it "just another series and all business," though he acknowledged there might be a little more banter than usual with the bullpens situated near each other. For Twins fans, the sight of their hometown kid thriving elsewhere is a bitter pill to swallow.

The bottom line

• Louis Varland has a 0.56 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 16 innings for Toronto, leading AL relievers in fWAR.
• The Twins bullpen ranks 25th in ERA (5.31) and 27th in Win Probability Added (-1.58).
• Varland was traded for Kendry Rojas and Alan Roden; Rojas has thrown 12.1 scoreless innings, Roden is injured.
• Varland is under team control through 2030, making the trade's long-term impact uncertain.
• The Twins have lost 11 of 13 games, partly due to bullpen failures.
• Varland set a playoff record with 15 appearances last postseason.