Each manuscript should add to our knowledge base. The theoretical foundation is insufficient. This issue might be resolved by returning to the literature and gathering the necessary information to provide a more substantial theoretical base. When the rigorous standards of a refereed journal result in the rejection of a manuscript, it may be revised and refocused for a different audience and submitted to a journal that may have a less rigorous review process. It might result in tenure, and then I'd have to write for a living.
Nobody reads the stuff anyway.
You might be surprised by the number of letters and phones calls authors receive after they have published a provocative and scholarly article. The most useful articles are also frequently cited by other authors. I did, but my manuscript was rejected. Most, if not all, published writers have had material rejected. When a manuscript is rejected, the author can use the explanations for its rejection as a guide for revising the manuscript and for improving future work.