But *if* he did in fact improve over the season, as I saw argued elsewhere, with his 'out pitch' then it becomes significantly more likely that a rebound is within reach and not just a pipe dream.
I wanted Gallardo five years ago, back when he was close to Quintana's current level. Now, comparing him to Hammel (which assumes Gallardo REBOUNDS), is a different story altogether.
Still and all, I like the *idea* of Gallardo, and in a vacuum him for Smith made perfect sense. Neither is counted on to be a core contributor, whereas there's little (or no!) upside to Smith but there is significant upside to Gallardo, and he plugs a bigger org need than Smith did. Pedro Alvarez, Chris Carter and Brandon Moss are still out there if the team thinks it needs some more hitting, and they shouldn't cost more than Smith's '17 salary.
That's a loaded premise, obviously, and I suppose the same reasoning could be used to poo-poo the Gallardo add by pointing to Fister and Hammel.
I do like Gallardo's upside, though. Even though it's a long shot that he'll reach it.