one way or another, Gallardo isn't around long enough to make this super important.
Seriously. When has JeDi given us a stick-caught-in-the-mud impression when it comes to moving on from a broken player? He tries stuff. He throws mud at the wall to see what sticks. Then he cleans the wall off and starts throwing again.
It'll be the same here. Maybe a #3 pitcher sticks to the wall on one of these various scenarios proposed - maybe it's ht 5-10% odds I foresee, or maybe the 0.05-0.10% odds Doc might reluctantly allow when out of the room with his back turned and a little something slipped into his afternoon Dr. Pepper by a manaically giggling Matt.
If we hits a homerun with Gallardo, we hits it! If not, I don't think he gets nearly the whole first two months of the season (reflecting on Billy Beane's roster assembly paradigm) to prove he's done. I doubt Jerry needs much more than half that to be certain.