To me, some of this depends on what was done between now and then. If they're 10 games over .500 that likely means that pitching has improved one way or another. That's probably a time to buy in most cases. The logical conclusion is that you sell assets now to acquire younger, controllable assets that help down the road. Coupled with the talent they do have in the minors, it's a means to grow the franchise. The key is to hit on the acquisitions and the timing needs to be right to produce a winner. To me, the latter may end up being the bigger problem. By the time they get enough quality pitching, the core of position players may become unaffordable. Of course, if they never do acquire the quality pitching, it's a moot point. That is why some of us have been pining to trade the vets for at least a full season now. Doing it correctly could result in an extended legitimate window similar to what the Royals were able to accomplish or what the Giants and Cardinals have been able to do for the better part of a decade.