Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Louis Varland knows what it’s like being a Minnesota sports fan. The St. Paul native grew up watching all four teams and spent over three seasons pitching for the Minnesota Twins before being traded at last year’s trade deadline.
Even though he’s gone on to become “The King of Closers” in Toronto, it would be hard to blame Varland if he wasn’t keeping an eye on what was going on in his home state. That’s why when FanSided’s Adam Weinrib asked which Minnesota team would be the next to win a championship, Varland was well-prepared and believed the Minnesota Wild would be the next team to hold a long-awaited parade.
“I’m going to say the Minnesota Wild. Especially after the last couple years of building on it,” Varland said. “They made some trades, signed some guys this offseason. I think they’ll have a true run this next year.”
Louis Varland believes the Wild will be the next Minnesota team to win a championship
Speaking to any Minnesota sports fan, they’d be happy if any team brought home a championship. The Twins were the last Minnesota team to win a title, winning the World Series 25 years ago. But no men’s professional team in the four major sports has even advanced to the championship round since Gene Larkin drove in Dan Gladden in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.
Going outside the four major sports, the Minnesota Lynx have won four WNBA championships with titles in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 and could be in line for a fifth with electric rookie Olivia Miles and the return of Napheesa Collier nearing a return.
It would have been a weird answer if Varland had chosen the Twins, especially since the Blue Jays are battling Varland’s former team for a wild card spot in a wide-open American League playoff race. The Minnesota Vikings are also hoping Kyler Murray can elevate them from their 9-8 malaise and the Minnesota Timberwolves could add LeBron James to barge into the conversation.
That being said, Varland’s pick of the Wild has plenty of merit. Minnesota advanced out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2015 last season and gained a legitimate superstar after trading for Quinn Hughes. With Kirill Kaprizov, Brock Faber and Matt Boldy in place, the Wild have tweaked their roster by adding Blake Coleman and Olli Maatta in a trade with the Calgary Flames and signing Maxim Shabanov from the New York Islanders.
The Wild may not be done, perhaps adding Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin or New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes through a blockbuster trade. But for Twins fans seeing Varland talk about the teams in his home state, it’s a reminder of what he could have been for this year’s team.
The Twins entered the All-Star Break tied with the Seattle Mariners for the final Wild Card spot in the American League with a record of 48-49 and the Blue Jays are 2.5 games back. Toronto’s scuffling offense has also been an issue, but Varland has been a strength, recording 19 saves and a 1.10 ERA in 49 innings to earn his first career All-Star selection.
With the struggles in the Twins’ bullpen, Varland could have been a key piece for a team that may have a chance to end Minnesota’s championship drought if they carry their momentum into the second half. Instead, Varland will watch from afar and hope it’s a different team than the one he’ll be competing against down the stretch.
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