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I think you're groping around for the source of your annoyance with deals like the Jaso/Morse swap...and your essential problem is that the team seems not to find balanced players. Specialists aren't necessarily bad, but you do need to have a team with weapons that are diverse enough to handle all comers and their various modes of attack. This year's plan-B group was a grab at guys the Ms hoped would legitimize the line-up with some power (not just dingers...slugging and hitting overall...Morales was hardly a play at 35 dingers...they just wanted a good all around bat). But every one of them was a bad walk-taker. Morse, Morales, Ibanez...none of them draw walks at this point in their careers (and some of them never have). Whereas Jaso does draw walks and get on base (though his Seattle power was a fluke and evinced by the collapse of his ISO in 2013). I still think the Jaso move was lateral at worst and it had logical upside with Morse. And I still say we're not suffering on defense at all...not enough to matter at any rate. But I will grant you that the club needed to consider two things this year that it evidently did not:
1) line-up structure and balance (we should have gone after Bourn or someone else who got on base more consistently to lead off, for example)...all ISO and no BB make offenses streaky (and bad against power pitchers).
2) Athleticism. Morales, Morse, Montero, Bay...these are not guys around whom you can build sustained success because they are not guys who are particularly SPRY fellows. Strong, yes, but not flexible...it makes them break more easily (as Guti does)...and there was some evidence in the case of both Morales and Morse (and Bay, BTW, who couldn't stay healthy in NY) that nagging injuries might be a problem. Perhaps the club considered all the injury questionmarks a minimal gamble, figuring the kids would be along to replace them in due time and it was a cheap upside move, not a long term play, but it is hard for kids to grow into roles if their support staff keeps getting hurt.
Most successful teams use pieces like Morse and Morales as "it would be nice if these guys contributed in reserve roles, but not critical" pieces...we used them as starters we NEEDED to succeed to have any chance at contention.
So if that's really what you're driving at...then I would agree.
But I don't think we got those guys because we just wanted homers. We got them because we weren't willing to overpay to get better, more athletic players.