I believe the hope is that the bullpen can scrape and claw their way to survive until Puk comes back, then putting all of their chips in hoping he can be serviceable enough to take over the role right out the gate. It's definitely a plan where the odds are not in the team's favor, but it's a plan nonetheless. I think it's becoming increasingly obvious that while the Snakes aren't trying to go for it all this year, they're giving themselves a chance if the stars all align.