Right-handed reliever Louis Varland, whom the Toronto Blue Jays acquired from the Minnesota Twins along with first baseman Ty France for left-handed pitcher Kendry Rojas and outfielder Alan Roden in July, is off to a hot start for Toronto this season, hurling 11 scoreless innings with 16 strikeouts and three walks over 10 outings.
Rojas and Roden are also off to strong starts this season, but at the Triple-A level. Rojas, who suffered a hamstring injury in spring training, has thrown six scoreless innings with five strikeouts across two outings after making a rehab outing with Low-A Fort Myers. Roden has a .295/.456/.508 slash line with three homers, four doubles, 15 RBI and two stolen bases in 17 games with the Saints.
While Rojas and Roden are proving they have the potential to be MLB stars, Varland, who had a 2.02 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 49 innings with the Twins last year, has already proved he is a star. Before his dominant start to the season, Varland broke the record for most appearances in a single postseason with 15 when he threw a scoreless 2/3 of an inning in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Rogers Centre.
The narrative of the Varland trade could change over time. But for now, the Twins should regret it. Rojas is currently pitching every four days on a limited pitch count for the Saints, suggesting the lefty will be a bullpen arm when he earns the call to the majors, at least initially. If the Twins plan to use Rojas as a reliever, the team likely regrets acquiring him for Varland, a reliever who is already an established MLB star. Roden could end up being a solid big leaguer, but he has struggled in limited MLB action, posting a .191/.261/.294 (53 OPS+) slash line in 55 games with the Blue Jays and Twins last year.
Keeping Varland would've made Twins feel much better about bullpen in 2026
The Twins' bullpen is the team's clear weak spot. Before Sunday's game against the Reds, Minnesota ranked seventh among MLB teams in runs scored (109), 11th in starting pitching ERA (3.61) and 23rd in bullpen ERA (4.95). The Twins have a solid 11-10 record, but it could be even better if they had more established relievers in their bullpen. If Minnesota had kept Varland, the team would have felt much better about its bullpen. We'll have to wait and see what Rojas and Roden do in the future to come up with a final verdict for the trade, but for now, the Twins should regret the deal.
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