I'm not advocating for an overpayment so you can quit bringing that up in every post. If you're struggling for content then try actually responding to my points.
It can't be overstated how bad our starting rotation is right now. The need to address the situation does not stem from impatience. It's simply the reality of the situation. We have, at best, two competent starters (Anderson+Thornton) and a huge need for 3 more. Pineda can fill one of those spots but you also need to add a better pitcher or two. That can be done via trade, but given our payroll situation, the better option is almost certainly free agency.
If the prices are too high then so be it, but if you can get a Keuchel for 3/39 (like MLBTR suggests) then I think that does a lot of good for the development of our young players. Even at 5/100 for Wheeler, I don't think that really precludes the team from resigning their stars. None of them will have even reached free agency at that point.