Jeff Suppan.  Jeff Weaver. Kip Wells. Braden Looper.  

One is 1-1 with an ERA just above 2 (2.08) and ranks 7th in his respective league in innings pitched.  

One is 1-1 owning an Earned Run Average south of 2 (1.38), has a WHIP of .85 and ranks third in his league in both strikeouts and opponents’ batting average.

One is 0-2 boasting an ERA more than double the previous two (4.15) and is tied for the second most losses in his respective league.  

The other has pitched only one game; and in that game got shelled for 7 runs in only 2 innings of work.

Now before you go ahead and try and match names to statistics, remember that Jeff Suppan signed a 4-year deal for more than $40 million this winter.  Remember that Jeff Weaver will make more than $8 million this year.  And certainly remember Kip Wells and Braden Looper each make around $4 million a year.  

The answer goes, in order: Looper, Wells, Suppan and Weaver.

Surprised?  Well, guess what? Cardinals’ GM Walt Jocketty certainly isn’t.  When he let the Milwaukee Brewers overspend on Suppan, he knew he wasn’t letting Bob Gibson go.  Yes, Suppan was brilliant in the playoffs in all 3 years he spent with the Redbirds.  Yes, he was a vital piece of the 2006 World Series Champion team.  

But (and it’s a big but), Jocketty will never overspend on a player he does not believe is a legit superstar.  Suppan had an ERA over 4 last year, so once talk of his contract escalated into 8-digits yearly, you knew he was gone.

Weaver proves this point even further.  Last summer, he was practically given to St. Louis from Anaheim for a minor leaguer 90% of die-hard Cardinal Nation couldn’t even name if they tried (Terry Evans, you know him?).  After a couple of good games in the playoffs Weaver thinks he should be paid among the best in the league.  The Seattle Mariners agreed.  Once again, Jocketty said “no thanks”.  

So instead he goes with a guy Pittsburgh Pirate fans scoff at and a career reliever to fill those 2 spots in the rotation.  

So far, so good.

Now I’m fully aware it’s a long season and a couple starts mean absolutely nothing in the scheme of an entire year.  But there is definitely something there.  In each of Wells’ and Looper’s first 2 starts, they both improved dramatically; each throwing absolute gems in their second outing.  

And I’m not sitting here trying to say Jeff Suppan is a worthless pitcher who has no business in this sport. But what people need to finally realize is just because people make more money than someone else, or teams go on a huge spending spree landing top notch players, or one name isn’t as big as another, that does not in any way show how a season is going to go.

Does anyone remember when the Cardinals signed Jeff Suppan to a three-year deal way back when?  That wasn’t exactly called the biggest signing in the world; the Red Sox weren’t exactly upset to see him go.  

How about Kent Bottenfield?  The man spends his entire life in the bullpen before Dave Duncan decides to give him a shot in the rotation.  Next thing you know he’s the main piece in a trade package to the Angels for Jim Edmonds.  

Walt Jocketty knows the value of a dollar.  He won’t overspend on someone unless they deserve it (i.e. Albert Pujols).  When it comes to average talent, he’d rather take his chances on pitching coach Dave Duncan bringing out the very best in someone else who doesn’t have as big of a name or, more importantly, nearly as big of a salary.   

The strategy works.  Check the stats.