MLB Announces Award Finalists
Major League Baseball and the Baseball Writers Association of America announced the finalists for the American League awards on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. The Toronto Blue Jays have two pitchers among the nominees, with Dylan Cease named as a finalist for the Cy Young Award and Louis Varland selected as a finalist for the Reliever of the Year Award.
The winners for both awards are scheduled to be announced next week. This announcement marks the first time in three years that a Blue Jays pitcher has been named a Cy Young finalist.
Cease Named Cy Young Finalist
Dylan Cease was joined by Cam Schlittler and Parker Messick as the top three vote-getters for the American League Cy Young Award. Cease, in his first season with the Blue Jays, posted a 2.40 earned run average with 239 strikeouts and 78 walks over 169 innings pitched.
July Pitching Highlights
Cease’s campaign included two notable no-hit bids over three games in July. During one start, he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants before allowing Heliot Ramos to single leading off the final inning. Seventeen days later, he pitched a complete-game one-hitter at Fenway Park.
Velocity and Pitch Count Data
Analysis of Cease’s workload during those starts shows he threw 118 pitches in the first start and 120 pitches in the second. His four-seam fastball averaged 97.4 m.p.h. before a July 25 complete game against the Red Sox, dropping to an average of 95.5 m.p.h. after that contest.
Varland and Reliever of the Year
Louis Varland was named alongside Cade Smith and Bryan Baker as a finalist for the AL Reliever of the Year Award. The selection gives the Blue Jays a chance to win their first such award in franchise history.
Media Reaction to Cease’s Performance
Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dan Plesac joined Blair and Barker to break down the 2026 season, describing Cease as having become "one of the best pitchers in baseball" and "worth his big contract."