He's really asking why not delay the start of Stras' season so that he has bullets left for the end of season and playoffs.
For one thing, without his early season contributions we likely don't even make the playoffs, and it's no guarantee with his efforts. Let's just say having him in the rotation from day 1 improves our chances as opposed to reserving innings for playoffs that become less likely BECAUSE of the reserved innings.
Then there's the whole spring training conditioning thing. Seems better to have him on a standard routine as opposed to a lone ranger joining the team in June.
And should the team be in position to compete they can make an informed decision about trading for or otherwise obtaining a competent replacement (Dempster?) which is not possible at the start of the season.
