Fred Ferreira was a very big deal and him joining Dan didn't change things.
The way they handled their International pool last year, specifically allowing themselves to be outbid substantially on the Cubans, is what led me to believe that it was possible that ownership wasn't willing to fully fund the International market. That and how pleased ownership was with the Gausman trade (which was mostly about shedding payroll).
When ownership is obviously concerned with lowering costs and at the same time they are not spending what they could on players, I think it is fair to question finances.