Blue Jays failed in not protecting reliever Travis Bergen

Hindsight is 20/20 although the Toronto Blue Jays would likely rethink their decision not to add reliever Travis Bergen to the 40-man roster if they could do it all over again.

The Blue Jays had two pitchers plucked from their organization even before they were able to select 18-year old pitcher Elvis Luciano from the Kansas City Royals. Jordan Romano was selected third overall by the White Sox who then proceeded to flip the Canadian hurler to the Texas Rangers for cash considerations.

Reliever Travis Bergen was then drafted by the San Francisco Giants 8th overall after a spectacular 2018 campaign with Dunedin and New Hampshire. Bergen would have had a chance to crack the Jays bullpen out of spring training had he been provided the opportunity.

The 25-year old southpaw sported a minuscule 0.95 earned run average in 43 relief appearances last season notching eight saves and fanning 74 batters in 56.2 innings of work. Bergen allowed six earned runs all season including a 22-game scoreless stretch.

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Bergen was lights out and could have surely provided some upside from the left side in the Blue Jays depleted bullpen in 2019. I hate to be the armchair quarterback but Ross Atkins and company opted to protect the likes of 26-year old Jonathan Davis who is a career .258 hitter and way down the organization’s outfield depth chart.  Davis is somewhat redundant seeing the Jays protected both Dalton Pompey and Dwight Smith Jr.

The Jays also protected 31-year old Oliver Drake who they claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays at the end of November. Drake pitched for five MLB clubs last season including Toronto who rostered him for approximately a week before the Twins claimed him off waivers.

Surely the younger Bergen could have provided just as much upside as a hurler who was claimed off waivers five times in a single season. Through all the change of sceneries, Drake ended the season with a 5.29 earned run average in 44 relief appearances.

There is no point in crying over spilled milk, however, both Romano and Bergen could both still be apart of the Blue Jays organization at little to no cost.