A theoretical question with two premises...
1) We do not have the 14 prospects under debate for addition to the 40 man.
No Freeman
Valera
Rocchio
Lavastida
Palacios
Pilkington
Morris
Cantillo
Benson
Gonzalez
Tena
Noel
Scott
Kwan
They aren't in our system in our system.
2) But we do have Bryan Reynolds and Cedric Mullens.
Is the org better situated? Is the team better off over the next three or four years?
Its a two part question, and I will make the argument for...second part first.
No doubt that the team is better off for several years. Having both Reynolds and Mullins makes this a powerful team...probably the fav in the A L Central, and among the few elite teams in baseball.
Now, is the org in a better situation?
We would have an outstanding OF under control for four years with an outstanding very good rotation under control for at least four years, with the exception of Bieber, who has three years of control left.
Our payroll would be less than it is this year. The total cost of our three OFs would be about $3 mil less than we paid Eddie...and we'd still have the likely $10 mil payroll increase to spend.
We would still have 5 MLB ready MIFs in Amed, Gimenez, Arias, Miller, and Clement...all but Amed under control for at least four years. Two of them would be in Columbus.
The Columbus rotation would probably be Moss, Morgan, Battenfield, Allen Jr, and a filler like McCarty, Stephans, or even Peacock.
The Akron rotation would be something like Espino, Burns, Gaddis, Curry, filler.
Vargas, Hankins, Torres, and Casetta-Stubbs will be worked in somewhere when they are ready.
We still have Jones, Martinez, and Bo Naylor among position prospects. We don't have a close to ready OF prospect, but we won't need one for years.
Zimmer and/or Mercado would look a lot better as backup OFs on this team than they do as part of the wishing and hoping gang.
With the present cost savings and projectable payroll for at least three years, the org is in better position to make extension offers to Jose, Biebs, and Franmil.
We have three possibilities for 1B in Bradley, Naylor, and Jones. Every position is covered. The only real organizational weakness is a lack of catching prospects beyond Bo Naylor.
The pen still has its core of Clase, Karinchak, Sandlin...and IMO Wittgren. It also has Mejia-Allen-Hentges, who are now relieved of having to work as starters, and we can keep Francisco Perez. We also have payroll space to add a vet or two.
Wed also have money to add a significant piece at the deadline.
Now, this is all theoretical. It didn't happen, and it won't happen.
But if we had made a vast overpay...fourteen for two...we would be in better shape to contend, without killing the future. A future with Jose extended and this outfield would look a lot better than with the 14 prospects, esp since we are probably gonna lose half of them anyway, either to Rule Five or normal prospect attrition.