Blue Jays Closer Offers 2-Word Response On Fatigue Leaving Him ‘Gassed’ For Stretch

The Toronto Blue Jays have leaned heavily on Louis Varland as their bullpen has become one of the most frequently used units in baseball. But what began as an unexpected emergence for the team’s new star closer has turned into a critical question about Toronto's late-inning plans with the postseason stretch approaching.

Varland has responded to the closer’s role by becoming one of the Blue Jays' most reliable relievers, taking over the highest leverage spots and continuing to produce despite an increasingly demanding workload. That workload, however, has raised questions about whether the 28-year-old can maintain his effectiveness as games become more important.

Since the trade deadline, only the Chicago White Sox bullpen had accumulated more innings than Toronto's 84 2/3, according to the Toronto Star. Columnist Rosie DiManno described that workload as the kind of overuse that can leave a bullpen “gassed” before the meaningful games of September arrive.

And when she asked Varland whether his frequent usage could leave him fatigued by next month, Varland initially dismissed the concern before acknowledging that there is a reason to be worried.

“Nah, that’s all mental,” Varland said, per DiManno, before offering a more telling two-word response with a question of his own: “Not really?”

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For now, there seems to be little reason to expect the Blue Jays will lay off of their dependence on Varland. On Saturday, he delivered another clutch performance as the team earned a key win in its efforts to seize a wild card playoff spot.

“New York did all its scoring in the seventh and eighth innings, but Varland snuffed out the rally on 21 pitches (12 strikes),” CBS Sports reported. “The right-hander has converted five straight save chances, and over 20.1 innings since the beginning of July he's produced a 1.77 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB.”

That appearance extended a strong stretch for Varland and the team, but it also added to a season-long innings toll that could push Varland beyond his career high of just under 73, logged last year.

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The challenge for Toronto is finding a way to preserve that effectiveness without taking away one of its most trusted late-inning weapons or overtaxing the bullpen in general.

Varland has already established himself as a key piece of the Blue Jays' bullpen, but the team's heavy relief usage makes his workload increasingly important. Toronto can ill afford to have its closer run out of gas just as the postseason race reaches its most demanding stage.

For his part, Varland doesn’t seem concerned about taking on too many innings, though he did seem to acknowledge that there could be a physical toll with his brief and open question.