It's not necessarily right, but the Athletic isn't known for subtle, so it makes sense. You're either a contender now, you have the crucial pieces to become a contender and it's all about time and fostering that core, or you need to punt and regroup. There are some teams in there that cannot afford to punt and regroup with their current structure and revenue, but good luck finding an analyst who advocates for that approach.
Outside of a shocking development, the Blues don't have any superstars or the defense to be a contender. And as enticing as their growing prospect stable is, they aren't getting help on defense and most of those guys are at least a couple years away.
The big problem, though, is how much you have to burn down the current team to get bad enough to say it was worth it. And then do you even get the players you need, or is it basically the equivalent of EJ and Eller? And if that happens, are you still bad enough and also lucky enough to get your next Pietrangelo, Tarasenko, and Schwartz after that? And did you burnout and have to overpay other guys to stick around along the way?
I feel like it's hazy enough that I'm suspicious of anybody who thinks the path is clear. Not suspicious of people who are confident about which direction they want to see the team go, but how to get there. It's really common for fans and talking heads to misread how quickly bubble teams rise and fall.
