You are right in general, but in this case it is clear that the issue is not "guy has a tough break, going through a divorce, underperforming for a little while

You are right in general, but in this case it is clear that the issue is not "guy has a tough break, going through a divorce, underperforming for a little while - let's wait it out". It's "we thought we got Messi and we ended up with Henry Bemis - which cannot be salvaged. Imagine the other top players on the team seeing Henry Bemis getting paid Messi-money.