We've spent big many, many years. It only seems like a splurge, when the splurge does not turn out well- Crawford, Pablo/HRam, Eovaldi/Sale.
Even when we reset, we stay near the tax line. We've been a consistent top 5 spending team almost, if not every, year since the early 2000's.
The big problems usually arise more from trading away prospects than splurging and re-setting.
To me, it makes sense to wait to spend really big, when we feel like we are 1-2 players away from serious ring contention. It's hard not to think we could have extended the window beyond 2018, but it fizzled.
Had we signed Scherzer instead of Pablo/HRam, Ben would have stuck around longer- in all liklihood.
When the farm is low, and the budget seems full of declining or non productive players, it's time to re-set, regroup, and build back up again. I'm not sure why so many fans get so upset about this.
Look, I bget why people think, if we are still a top 3 spending team, why are we one of the top 10 contenders? Well, we over extended ourselves the last cycle, and until we flush out the deadwood salaries and build the farm back up, we have to check our high expectations at the door.