I don't think it's an outlier so much as by design. Elias has been targeting LH bats in the draft.
My guess is he thinks he can get a RH bat for the outfield on the cheap if he needs one.
It takes very little work to talk yourself out of any free agent pitcher.
With no idea of where payroll is going to sit under new ownership it's hard to even speculate.
I agree that it wasn't a good choice.
I just find it amusing that when guys make "bad choices" and it works out folks are quiet. Or when folks make bad choices at unimportant times.
Some folks even take a bad outcome and go back and look for the "bad choice" that they can link to it.
It was a bad at bat. His was far from the only one.