Kudos to RH for 3 amazing trades, but I can't separate them from his performance. In fact, they are bittersweet exactly because they are so great.
There is a decent chance we end up with 4/5 of a really good rotation, a star 3B, and a star LF/DH from this trade. Tim Anderson was already around, and Luis Robert looks like another good international signing. That is a great core right there, so we don't need to get Springer/Correa/Bregman in 5 years from the draft. We are most of the way there.
Which is why it is so damning that we haven't found those complimentary pieces yet. I have high hopes for Madrigal, and I like Vaughn a lot. But these trades highlight just how bad the drafting and FA signings have been.
If Madrigal/Vaughn are good, and if we sign a couple good FAs this offseason, then I will happily say RH did a great job. He hasn't so far though. If we want to have sustained success like the Cardinals and Red Sox, we need to draft well now. Otherwise we will end up like the Royals: A 3ish year window and then a quick descent back to mediocrity.