Personally I think it's a misuse of the term no brainer. A no brainer literally requires no thought at all. I think this required some thought. Clay missed the last half of the 2015 season and he has an extraordinarily erratic track record. And there were some other credible pitchers like Fister available for less.
The Cubs are in much the same position we were in in 2004. The weight of expectations is huge. And the Mets are sort of like their Yankees.
It ain't gonna be easy for them, that's for sure.
When Bradley was red hot and still in the 9 hole a lot of fans were complaining about not moving him up in the order. Sometimes you can't win with this stuff.
Cafardo's story on the game suggests you're right. Headline: 'When it rains, it pours on Sox manager John Farrell.' First line: 'The black cloud above Red Sox manager John Farrell keeps hovering.'
I'm no big fan of Farrell's any more, but I have no issues with his lineups. Moving guys around in the order a lot based on who's hot and who's cold is not a good idea, IMHO.