We have to remember that some current players are placeholders until others are ready in the minors to be full time major leaguers…
That day is coming soon for a couple of the bats…
If true, why waste time on prospect placeholders and not sign veteran stop gaps to 1y deals trying to win more games and just get rid of the placeholders? If you don't win enough with either group, at least vets often have trade value (see Luplow or C. Hernandez). If Zimmer and Chang suck, nobody will come calling, because they have no track record to sell them on.
This approach still makes zero sense to me, unless they severely overvalue those placeholders (and want their scouting ego's to be proven right)