Padres' Mason Miller, Blue Jays' Louis Varland named MLB Relievers of the Year in first-ever BBWAA award
Miller lapped the field in strikeouts, while Varland led qualified relievers in ERA in their dominant 2026 seasons
• 2 min read
San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller and Toronto Blue Jays closer Louis Varland have been named the winners of the first-ever Baseball Writers Association of America Reliever of the Year award. The BBWAA introduced the award this year and, moving forward, will hand it out annually along with Rookies and Managers of the Year, Cy Young, and MVPs.
The BBWAA's Reliever of the Year award is separate from the Mariano Rivera Award and Trevor Hoffman Award, which honor the best relievers in the American League and National League, respectively. The Rivera and Hoffman Awards replaced the Delivery Man of the Year Award in 2015 and are voted on by a panel of former relievers, including Rivera and Hoffman.
Like the other BBWAA awards, the new Reliever of the Year award is voted on by BBWAA members (two per MLB city in each league). Votes were submitted before the beginning of the playoffs, meaning that only regular-season contributions are taken into account.
National League: Mason Miller, Padres
The best closer in baseball is the first-ever BBWAA National League Reliever of the Year. Miller was overwhelming from start to finish this past season, pitching to a 1.67 ERA with 129 strikeouts in only 70 innings. He led all pitchers with 3.9 WAR, well ahead of second-place Louie Varland (3.1 WAR), and he led the NL in saves (38) and games finished (57).
Miller's strikeout rate lapped the field. Here are the highest strikeout rates (strikeouts per batter faced) among qualified relievers:
- Mason Miller: 47.4%
- Mason Montgomery: 37.7%
- Andrés Muñoz: 37.1%
- Cade Smith: 36.3%
- Jhoan Duran: 35.6%
Miller just completed his first full season with the Padres. He was acquired from the Athletics at the 2025 trade deadline at a very high cost: San Diego sent shortstop Leo De Vries, one of the best prospects in baseball, to the A's in the six-player deal. Miller has been worth the price, though. He owns a 1.45 ERA in parts of two seasons with the Padres.
This is the first major award of Miller's career, who finished fourth in the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year voting and has two All-Star Game selections (2024 and 2026), but otherwise had never received Cy Young or MVP votes prior to this season. He beat out the Brewers' Trevor Megill and Phillies' Jhoan Duran for the award.
American League: Louis Varland, Blue Jays
After jumping into the national spotlight with his high usage during the 2025 postseason, Varland is the first winner of the BBWAA American League Reliever of the Year award. His 1.27 ERA led qualified relievers and his 3.1 WAR was tops in the AL. Varland struck out 87 batters in 78 innings and was fifth with 35 saves. He won with his sheer dominance, not his saves total.
Varland was a workhorse for the Blue Jays this year, much like he was last October. He finished second in saves of at least four outs:
- Jacob Latz: 13
- Louie Varland: 8
- Cade Smith: 7
- David Bednar: 6
- Mason Miller: 5
The Blue Jays acquired Varland from the Minnesota Twins, his hometown team, at the 2025 trade deadline. He struggled initially after the deal, posting a 4.94 ERA with Toronto after the deadline, but Varland found his footing in the postseason and then found another gear in 2026. He was one of the game's best relievers and a true workhorse.
Varland was an All-Star for the first time this season. This was also his first year receiving any award votes. He beat out the Guardians' Cade Smith and Rays' Bryan Baker for the award.
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