I think the problem is that Jeff Suppan has absolutely no upside. You know if the guy's healthy and throwing decently he's gonna give you 6 IP, 3-4 runs per outing. Every once in a while he goes 7 and gives up 2, then the next time goes 5 and gives up 6. He's just nothing special and it's irrational to expect anything different. Is that bad? Not completely, but when you've got guys like Narveson, Parra, and Bush - you could argue all three have sub-4 ERA potential if they put a complete season together. There's reason for hope for these guys, whereas going with Suppan feels like settling for mediocrity.