I'm not gonna start Googling but there was at least one column, where Klentak or MacPhail acknowledged that ownership wanted to see significant improvement over last years win total, and that it was a mild strategy shift. Whether that led to the acquisition of Saunders and Buchholz or those acquisitions changed the expectations, I do think they have changed.
Of course, I think they also would have loved to field a team without any of those vets, despite what Mackanin said/wanted, but the health and/or development of the starting pitchers, outfielders and Crawford did not make it possible.
Conversely, there are plenty of examples, including Gillick's statements and Klentak's comparisons to Houston, KC and Chicago, to suggest they still don't expect to be competing for a playoff spot until 2019, though as with the Cubs, they'll be making big moves a year before that (and the Astros arrived early too. But then missed the playoffs last year).
To me the rebuild still didn't start until last year. Yes, Amaro and Gillick began the process. But even last year Klentak still didn't have his front office overhaul in place. The real signal will be when he hires a new manager or if he gives Mackanin an extension through 2019.
And that 2019 team may still only feature just one or two players (though maybe three or four) who are in the starting eight now. I don't currently consider Hernandez, Joseph and Altherr to be any more or less certain than Rupp, though here's hoping (Galvis I think is gone, one way or another. You're not paying him $10 million in two years). And even Franco and Herrera aren't untouchable if the right trade or free agent changed things.
