This argument about rather having an ace pitcher or a superstar position player
How about having 3 really good starters and a whole lineup of above average players. That'll take you just as far. If Parker Meadows is the second half guy from last year, when you add Greene, Carpenter and hopefully Max Clark - our outfield looks like it's in great shape.
The infield is a bunch of question marks. We don't really know what Colt Keith is yet or if he can manage first base. We don't have any long term player, other than that, in the infield. We really hope that Jace Jung, Kevin McGonigle and Bryce Rainer can all work out, but we typically see that when you have 3 highly-regarded prospects that are a couple years away that you're lucky if one of them turns out to be a good player. If you look at any Preseason Baseball America top 10 prospects list from the past, if 3 out of the Top 10 prospects work out, you're doing an amazing job.
Of course, just our luck that just as Rainer and McGonigle are ready to come up in 2027 and be the new Alan & Lou, there won't be a season. I've seen it online about implementing a salary cap, the question is Would you be willing to sacrifice a 2027 season to have that happen? That'll be just our luck, because when you look at this roster, that's about the time everything should be coming together (hoping that Jobe works out and we'll get a good haul for Skubal, who will be getting paid 50 million a year by the Dodgers or Mets.