if your plan is to develop young hitters and buy established veteran pitchers, you have to accept the fact that you're not going to be getting awesome value on the pitching side. the cubs really need another good starting pitcher, and there aren't a ton of options out there. i'm all about the future and longevity, but i also want to be really good next year. Here's the thing, though. I think the Cubs will be really good next year already. Not the favorites, but playoff caliber. That's all that matters in the crapshoot of the postseason. if we had to settle for lynn or something like that, i think the rotation would look kind of suspect. it's easy to forget that we lost arrieta, and the rotation already has a couple or relatively big unknowns. also, one of the best ways to try and beat the crapshoot is to get elite starters who can strikeout lots of guys.