Varland, Miller Inaugural AL, NL Relievers of the Year- Sport Relay

A mosaic of Louis Varland of the Toronto Blue Jays (left) celebrating a win with his catcher and Mason Miller of the Padres (right) celebrating a win. Varland and Miller are the 2026 AL and NL Reliever of the Year.

Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) Right photo credits: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after the final out of the game was recorded against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning in game two of the National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park on September 30, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images

November 11, 2026

Varland, Miller Inaugural AL, NL Relievers of the Year

Louis Varland and Mason Miller are the inaugural AL and NL relievers of the year, the BBWAA announced Wednesday night at the annual awards show. Varland, of the Toronto Blue Jays, received 16 out of a possible 30 first place votes. Miller, of the San Diego Padres, was a unanimous selection, receiving all 30 first-place votes.

Louis Varland, 2026 AL Reliever of the Year

Louis Varland had an outstanding season for the Blue Jays, posting a 1.38 ERA and 1.013 WHIP over 78 innings. His 85.9% Scoreless Outing Percentage easily surpassed the AL relief average of 71.0%. Varland also struck out 31.6% of the 307 batters he faced and walked 7.5%. That gave him a 24.1 K–BB%, nearly double the AL relief average of 13.1%. He surrendered two home runs all season, holding opposing hitters to a 0.7 HR%. For reference, the AL relief average (excluding position pitchers) was 2.8%.

Varland was also excellent with inherited runners, allowing only 5-of-34 to score. His 14.7 IS% was less than half the 30.5% league average. In traditional closer numbers, Varland converted 35-of-37 save opportunities for a 94.6% success rate. He added 33 Goose Eggs against seven Broken Eggs, good for a 4.7 GE/BE ratio.

Mason Miller, 2026 NL Reliever of the Year

Mason Miller overwhelmed hitters throughout his unanimous Reliever of the Year season with the Padres. He posted a 1.67 ERA and 0.900 WHIP across 70 innings. His 86.4% Scoreless Outing Percentage easily surpassed the 70.7% NL relief average. But Miller’s ability to miss bats separated him even further from the league. He struck out 129 of the 272 batters he faced, an astounding 47.4 K%. His 37.9 K–BB% nearly tripled the 12.8% NL relief average.

Miller was equally dominant in clutch situations. He recorded 40 Goose Eggs against three Broken Eggs for a 13.3 GE/BE ratio. The NL relief average was 3.0. He also converted 38-of-41 save opportunities (92.7%) and allowed three home runs all season. This gave him a 1.1 HR%, less than half the NL relief average (position pitchers excluded) of 2.7%.

Reliever of the Year Voting

BBWAA writers — two per AL city and two per NL city — submitted their votes on the last day of the regular season. Varland took 16 first-place votes along with four for second place, five for third, and one each for fourth and fifth for 146 total points. He was absent from three ballots. Runner-up Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians had seven first-place votes, 15 second-place votes, and eight third-place votes. He was the only reliever to appear on all 30 AL ballots. Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays, with six, and Josh Hader of the Houston Astros, with one, captured the remaining seven first-place votes.

Other AL relievers receiving votes were Aroldis Chapman of the Boston Red Sox, David Bednar of the New York Yankees, Jacob Latz of the Texas Rangers, Brent Hedrick of the Yankees, Garrett Whitlock of the Red Sox, Grant Taylor of the Chicago White Sox, and Tyler Rogers and Spencer Miles, both of the Blue Jays.

In the NL, runner-up Jhoan Duran of the Philadelphia Phillies appeared on 29 of the 30 ballots. He had 24 second-place votes, four third-place votes, and one fourth-place vote for 110 total points. Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Megill finished third with 66 points, getting two second-place votes, 11 third-place votes, 11 fourth-place votes, and three fifth-place votes.

Other NL relievers receiving votes were Adrian Morejon of the Padres, Raisel Iglesias of the Atlanta Braves, Mason Montgomery of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Didier Fuentes of the Braves, Tanner Scott of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Aaron Ashby of the Brewers, Dylan Lee of the Braves, Abner Uribe of the Brewers, and Brandyn Garcia of the Arizona Diamondbacks.