A week ago this team looked like it was going to be playing the Dodgers in the NLCS. We'll see what the next week brings.
But I think it's pretty clear what Dombrowski's budget was. He convinced Middleton to let him spend about the same as last year. The only other alternative was less, which would have meant choosing between JT or Didi. There was no money for anything else, and he choose to get two cut-rate starters, a bench player and a mid-priced reliever instead of a top starter or more relievers.
The disappointment with this week, and with Haseley's play, is kind of papering over what a big deal this is (IMO). Healthy young first-round draft picks in the starting line-up don't just leave the team in April, and when you combine that with Kingery's struggles, the fact that Moniak is still not considered a top prospect, and Howard isn't in MLB, the drafts of 2015-2017 look even worse than usual.
The consensus on Didi seems to be that he's not playing well, whether it is mental, physical or mechanical (or all three). I don't think it has anything to do with Segura, even if he got mad about a play.
