Who won MLB Reliever of the Year? Louis Varland, Mason Miller take inaugural awards

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The Toronto Blue Jays' Louis Varland and San Diego Padres' Mason Miller were named Major League Baseball's 2026 Reliever of the Year winners on Wednesday, Nov. 11, the first edition of the reliever award being handed out by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Varland posted a 1.27 ERA with 35 saves in the regular season, setting a career high with 78 innings pitched and 97 strikeouts and received 16 of 30 first-place votes for the award. The right-hander built on his strong 2025 postseason, appearing in 15 games as the Blue Jays lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. He beat out AL finalists Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians and Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays.

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Miller had a 1.67 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 70 innings for the Padres, one of the most dominant regular seasons ever assembled by a relief pitcher. He won over finalists Trevor Megill of the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies' Jhoan Duran.

An award for baseball's top relievers is anything but new. The Rolaids Relief Man Award was issued from 1976-2012 and starting in 2012, MLB began handing out its own honor – now named the Mariano Rivera AL and Trevor Hoffman NL Relievers of the Year. The Boston Red Sox's Aroldis Chapman and New York Mets' Edwin Diaz received the MLB awards in 2025.

Reliever of the Year voting results

Voting on 5-3-1 scoring basis

American League

  • Louis Varland: 146 points (16 first place votes, 4 second place votes, 5 third place votes)
  • Cade Smith: 133 points (7, 15, 8)
  • Bryan Baker: 11 points (6, 8, 11)
  • Aroldis Chapman (1 second place vote, 3 third place votes)
  • Josh Hader (1 first place vote)

National League

  • Voting to come

Louis Varland stats

  • W–L: 5–6
  • ERA: 1.27
  • G: 71
  • SV: 35
  • IP: 78.0
  • SO: 97
  • WHIP: 1.00
  • H: 55
  • ER: 11
  • HR: 2
  • BB: 23
  • K/9: 11.2
  • WAR: 3.6

Mason Miller stats

  • W–L: 5–2
  • ERA: 1.67
  • G: 66
  • GS: 0
  • SV: 38
  • IP: 70.0
  • SO: 129
  • WHIP: 0.90
  • H: 37
  • R: 16
  • ER: 13
  • HR: 3
  • BB: 26
  • K/9: 16.6
  • WAR: 3.1

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who won MLB Reliever of the Year? Louis Varland, Mason Miller take inaugural awards

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