Cross posted from the "rumors" thread to not add something in there that isn't a rumor, but I actually think this would a) make sense and b) is something I'd endorse.
With the different rules for slot bonuses, over-signing and the IFA system, it's getting harder and harder for teams to flex their financial muscle WITHOUT incurring massive luxury tax penalties. I don't at all blame FSG for being cognizant of this - even if others are not.
Yes, the farm system is good, but I've said before that from a GM standpoint (I know that's not Bloom's actual title), if your strength is building from the farm, it should look better after three years of letting every prominent player leave the franchise.
So spend money to buy prospects, and the best way to do that is with short term veterans whom you aren't tied to long term that you CAN flip at the deadline. The problem, of course, is that we had that very opportunity to do that last year (Eovaldi, Wacha, Hill, JDM, Strahm) and didn't do that. I think the plan is sound - the execution of that plan has not been.
A forward thinking GM would sign guys like that and move them. The problem is that history has shown that if things break right and this collection of "well, it MIGHT work" is 0-11-1 against their division, but is within a handful of games of the last wild card, this current GM WON'T trade those pieces. We'll let them play out the string, continue to lose, finish in the middle of the pack (so have a worse pick in the draft) AND lose the opportunity for any lottery ticket prospects to add to the system.
That said, I fully admit that I'd rather finish 25 games out of the playoffs, get a higher picker and move whatever isn't part of the "core" for prospects than finish 2 games out, get a worse pick, and watch those pieces leave with nothing to show for it.