How do you equate "Ace" with reliable starter? We needed a guy who could take the bump with consistency because both our #5 starter (now injured) is injury prone, and our #2 starter (will be injured eventually) is also injury prone. You can't take the gamble and expect full seasons from either of them, let alone both of them. They needed another guy with the ability to deliver decent results and eat up some innings.
Isn't that the very definition of ace "like"? As in, a simple imitation? He had the peripherals (3.26 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 132 ERA+) but of course did not have the innings, his usual caveat.