Except Lilly isn't mediocre and he never has been. If you look at his career stats prior to coming to this season, they define mediocre. ERA+ since 2001 (his first full season) 83 120 98 120 80 109 118 (this year) Two years below league average, 1 year just about league average, and 4 years above league average. Yeah, he's mediocre alright. Edit: Also, his first below average year was his first full season, and 2005, the year his ERA+ was 80, he was injured and only got 25 starts.