Blue Jays: Why is Joe Biagini still on the 40-man roster?

The Toronto Blue Jays continue to tweak their roster in preparation of the upcoming Rule 5 draft yet for some reason unbeknownst to me Joe Biagini still occupies a spot on the 40-man roster.

The fascination with Joe Biagini still baffles me as the Blue Jays are apparently willing to bid adieu to the likes of Jordan Romano, Travis Bergen, Corey Copping and Jackson McClelland in favour of keeping “Big Joe” around.

The 28-year old reliever has sported earned run averages of 5.34 and 6.00 over the past two seasons while failing miserably when given the opportunity to start. Biagini was essentially only effective during his rookie campaign in 2016 and realistically should have been pitching in Buffalo last season.

The Blue Jays have left a handful of talented players off the roster due to the current depth of their system. So why is Biagini still on the 40-man roster?

Does Travis Bergen not provide more upside than Joe Biagini as a reliever?

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The 25-year old surrendered six runs in 43 minor league relief appearances last season between Dunedin and New Hampshire. Bergen owned a minuscule 0.95 earned run average in 2018 while fanning 74 in 56.2 innings of work. The former 7th round selection sports a career 1.27 earned run average with a 12 SO/9 rate in 59 professional games.

The Jays acquired Corey Copping in the John Axford trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline. The 24-year old finished the 2018 campaign with a 2.39 earned run average between Double and Triple-A. Copping was lights out as a Blue Jay fanning 20 hitters in 14 innings complimented with a 1.93 earned run average.

Could Copping not be of more value than Biagini on the 40-man roster?

The Blue Jays may still non-tender Yangervis Solarte which will open up a spot while the likes of Dalton Pompey, Jonathan Davis, and Mark Leiter Jr. also still remain rostered.

The constant among many of the pitchers left off the 40-man is they definitely could not do any worse than Biagini. Is it worth possibly losing any of them in favour of Biagini?

The risk surely does not outweigh the reward in this case.