Like I said, we only have a few months to go on, so I might be speaking too soon. But at the same time, I don't think Ben Cherington would have made those moves, even after two last-place finishes, even with that pitching staff, and even with Ortiz announcing his retirement. And I think the reasons for that go beyond John Henry loosening the purse strings. EDIT TO CLARIFY: that I don't mean this as a knock against either person, just saying that I think they operate differently.
As to your second point, having looked at the list, I don't see anyone other than maybe Strasburg who is a clear upgrade over the eight starters (Price, Buchholz, Porcello, Rodriguez, Kelly, Owens, Johnson, Elias - did I forget anyone?) they already have under team control (assuming they pick up Clay's option, which isn't indicated on that list for some reason), and even he comes with enough red flags that that might not be the case. Cashner, maybe? I'm not even really saying you're wrong, or that signing one of those two hitters is the way to go, only that I would be surprised if the 2017 lineup is the same as 2016's but with one of the Travises effectively replacing Ortiz.