Given that the Cards will always have payroll limitations that some teams don’t have, it is not unreasonable for Mo to opt for a gaggle of hopefully serviceable pitchers rather than risk being hamstrung for years with a huge contract or two sitting out injured.
It’s certainly “not unreasonable,” but unless the farm is producing a boatload of studs like it was c. 2009-2013, we’ve seen what Mo’s approach gets you. It’s appreciable that the Cards play meaningful games every year in September and October…but when other teams have caught up in the development arena, it sure can be frustrating to see playoff near misses and first round losses on repeat. The Cards just don’t have the prime, high end talent that other teams do. Even the guys they do go get, like Arenado and Goldy, are at the tail end of their primes when acquired.