Padres and Blue Jays closers take inaugural BBWAA awards

Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres and Louis Varland of the Toronto Blue Jays won the first Baseball Writers Association of America Reliever of the Year awards. Miller claimed the National League prize, while Varland took home the American League version. This new category joins the existing BBWAA awards for rookies, managers, Cy Young winners, and most valuable players.

Votes were cast by BBWAA members, with two representatives from each MLB city in each league. Because ballots were submitted before the postseason started, performance during the playoffs did not count. This distinction separates the new award from the Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman trophies, which are voted on by former relievers.

Miller finished the regular season with a 1.67 ERA and 129 strikeouts over 70 innings. He led the National League with 38 saves and 57 games finished while recording 3.9 wins above replacement. The Padres closer struck out 47.4 percent of the batters he faced, a mark that separated him from other qualified relievers. Mason Montgomery followed at 37.7 percent, with Andrés Muñoz at 37.1 percent, Cade Smith at 36.3 percent, and Jhoan Duran at 35.6 percent.

This season marked Miller's first full year with San Diego. The team acquired him from the Athletics at the 2025 trade deadline in a six-player deal that included shortstop prospect Leo De Vries. Across parts of two seasons with the Padres, Miller holds a 1.45 ERA. This is his first major award, having previously placed fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2024 and earned All-Star selections in 2024 and 2026.

Varland led all qualified relievers with a 1.27 ERA. His 3.1 WAR ranked first in the American League. He struck out 87 batters in 78 innings and recorded 35 saves. Varland defeated Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith and Tampa Bay Rays reliever Bryan Baker for the honor.

The Toronto closer also made eight saves that required at least four outs. That total was second only to Jacob Latz's 13. Smith had seven, David Bednar had six, and Miller had five. That workload followed his frequent use during Toronto's 2025 postseason run. The Blue Jays acquired Varland from his hometown Minnesota Twins at the 2025 trade deadline.

Varland initially posted a 4.94 ERA with Toronto before improving in the postseason and carrying that progress into 2026. This season brought his first All-Star selection and the first award votes of his career.