How does keeping Rendon fix your farm system? You have no homegrown talent to look forward to. Scherzer and Corbin were FA's...they did OK with them...
Zimm better be gone...I don't care what Inanimate object they plant at 1st in his stead...homegrown or not...
Keeping Rendon helps field a competitive team next year and for at least the next few years. Turner-Robles-Rendon-Soto is a good half of the hitters. Letting him go basically means we have 2 hitters on the roster who can play every day and be counted on for an OPS over .800. Not going to win with that. You said all that matters is winning and losing Rendon opens a black pit of despair at 3B for the foreseeable future when first base is a sinkhole and 2B is likely just as bad.
And it doesn't take rocket science for Rizzo to say, "You know, I think our team would be better by signing the best pitcher on the market." Max has worked out better than anyone could have realistically hoped.
How about Wieters? Rafael Soriano? Trevor Rosenthal? Even Dozier? Papelbon? Nate McClouth? The middle-of-the-road signings and trades are Rizzo's kryptonite. Finding a diamond-in-the-rough is impossible with this organization.