Another part of the issue is whether our pitching or pitching depth is best improved at this point by picking up another Freddy Garcia or Paul Maholm type pitcher. It varies on a case by case basis depending on what you already have each year. Chris Capuano did not make sense for the Red Sox a few weeks ago. But when Dempster announced he wasn't playing this year, it made sense for them to make the move.
I think you want to calibrate your quality of pitching by how much they are likely to actually pitch. Based on prior year's experience you have an idea of how much your #6 is likely to pitch, how much your #7 guy is likely to pitch, etc.
Of course the most dramatic way to improve your rotation is by bringing in a #1. That improves the whole rotation by moving everyone else down a rung. But as with any acquisition, you need to weigh the improvement against the costs. We've talked about this quite a bit with respect to David Price and a few others. They would be nice to have, but not cost efficient. For a team like the Braves, homegrown pitching is the way to go. It exploits a strong comparative advantage that our farm system has demonstrated over the years.
