I don't think it's that big of a deal at this point other than as a pattern of apathy and an obvious lie in the face of creating a player-driven culture etc. With Cruz, we can't say anything too hardcore until we actually see how he plays -- I'm willing to concede that much. But I think given their decision, they are set up to not let his play dictate a promotion or not, at least not until very close to half the season has already passed.
Extrapolate it out, and even if Davis and Gonzales perform well this year and look good in spring training, then you play the same game next year, and rinse and repeat for future years. The quicker way around this BS, including with Cruz, is to commit to players to build around and then go from there.
I'm even cynical enough to grant that it's a generally savvy strategy, but I don't think it's one that's the only recipe for success with a rebuilding team that needs to get significantly better before it's a viable contender. If the roster was already a lot better and you still had a system where you were trying to constantly thread the needle and keep these issues in mind, then that's still cowardly/flying in the face of what's actually supposed to be the case (they are never going to be able to fully legislate service time manipulation away -- what it actually will take is teams stepping up in the way that we are seeing with the Royals, Mariners, Tigers, and Phillies).
