It feels like you’re really twisting yourself into knots trying to find a way to be pessimistic. Addition or replacement, Burnes is still an upgrade over Bradish. A full year of an improved Rodriguez is most likely going to be an upgrade. Right there, that’s the top two spots in the rotation most likely being better than last year. The rest of the rotation will sort itself out.
If you think adding guys like Lorenzen or Clevinger are really going to be the difference between having World Series aspirations or not, then you are really overrating them. Plus, Clevinger is supposed to be a cancer in the locker room, so he’d probably do more to hurt our World Series aspirations than help. There’s really no urgency to add someone like that when we have plenty of other options. If we have injuries, the young guys like McDermott or Povich could come up and fill in. I’d rather see them get a chance than spend money on more of these old back of the rotation guys that have no future with with the team.