Having a lot of seatpost exposed is not a problem unless it bothers you aesthetically. In faxct, I have a cheap Aluminum frame with a Very long carbon seatpost and a I believe it is a lot more comfortable because fo that.

Look for an endurance-style frame with a longer head tube, next time, like Giant Defy. For this bike, set up the saddle so that you are close to KOPS, and don't worry about the markings on the rails---it is just to get a few miles in and see if it works for you ... or just buy a 0-setback seatpost because you almost certainly need one.

If the CAAD8 frame has too short a head tube, you can get a higher-angle stem and a shorter one .... I use 80 mm on my Raleigh and it handles fine, looks good enough (not that I care about what others think since it is a bike to ride, not art to look at) and fits me really well. If you shop around you can find a stem and seatpost ---decent ones which don't weigh a ton---for $15-$25---Ebay/Amazon---also, if the steerer tube is long enough you can add spacers under the stem to raise it some.