Handing out the Blue Jays mid-season awards for Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and MVP

The Toronto Blue Jays didn't have the first half of the season they were hoping for. They've performed well below expectations and are fighting just to stay in the American League Wild Card race. But as much as the first half of 2026 was disappointing for the Blue Jays, there have been a couple of players who've been bright spots.

Cy Young: Dylan Cease

Dylan Cease was the biggest offseason signing for the Blue Jays. The team signed Cease to a seven-year $210 million contract at the end of November and so far, Cease has been worth the money.

Cease is second in American League Cy Young odds behind Cam Schlittler with the New York Yankees (+300). His 2.79 ERA is the fifth-best among qualified starters in the AL. He leads the AL in strikeouts with 137 and has struck out seven or more batters in each of his last nine starts.

Cease has diversified his arsenal since joining the Blue Jays. In 2025, 83 percent of Cease's pitches were fastballs or sliders. In 2026, he uses those two pitches 66 percent of the time. He's using his changeup 11 percent of the time versus one percent of the time in 2025. He's also using his sinker 10 percent of the time compared to four percent in 2025. He's also mixing in the occasional curve ball (9%) and sweeper (5%).

Cease's good first half earned him his first All-Star nod. It's also made him a frontrunner for the Cy Young for the third time in his career (2nd in 2022, 4th in 2024).

Honourable mention: Louis Varland (More on him later)

Rookie of the Year: Kazuma Okamoto

Kazuma Okamoto has gotten better and better as the season has gone on. He started the season slashing .218/.301/.373 with five home runs and 15 home runs in March and April. He put up similar numbers in May, slashing .210/.304/.470 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs. Okamoto then had his best month so far in June. He slashed .286/.353/.560 with seven home runs and 20 RBIs. He was rewarded for his efforts by being named the AL Rookie of the Month for June.

Okamoto has been the best position player for the Blue Jays in 2026. He leads the team in home runs (20), RBIs (54), slugging (.457), wRC+ (116) and fWAR (2.0). He's also shown solid defense at third base, racking up five defensive runs saved (DRS).

The Blue Jays' rookies have been a bright spot for the team in 2026, but Okamoto especially so. His start to his MLB career has been impressive enough that he currently has the sixth-best odds to win the AL Rookie of the Year.

Honourable mention: Trey Yesavage

Blue Jays' mid-season MVP is almost a no-brainer

MVP: Louis Varland

Louis Varland has, without a doubt, been the best thing about the Blue Jays in 2026. His 0.96 ERA is the second-lowest among qualified relievers. His 2.2 fWAR is second only to Cease among Blue Jays players and tied with Mason Miller as the highest among relief pitchers in MLB. He also leads all relievers in win probability added (WPA) with 2.89.

Like Cease, Varland was named an All-Star for the first time in his career. While he started the season well, he really stepped up when the Blue Jays decided to remove Jeff Hoffman from the closer role. Since stepping in as the Blue Jays closer, Varland has gone 18 for 18 in save situations.

Varland has looked unbreakable for much of 2026, despite being one of the most used relievers in MLB. His 42 appearances are tied for the fifth-most among relievers, while his 47 innings are the tenth-most in MLB.

Since coming to the Blue Jays at the 2025 trade deadline, Varland has become an integral part of the team. He played a major role in the team's run to the World Series in 2025. In 2026, he stepped up to another level.

Honourable mention: Spencer Miles

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow