I posted on August 9th that Arrieta should be in that conversation. Their ERAs on August 9th were 1.65 and 2.36 respectively. That's nowhere near half. Numbers don't like, right?
Being in the conversation is clearly not the same thing and saying he was "right there" with Greinke as of August 9th. Comprehension is important.
Your Westbrook/Curry example is ridiculous as well, primarily because we are three weeks into the season.
Thanks for calling out my "half" vs "have" typo in that manner. Figures your one of those. That last one is just for you if want to correct it.
I am in ownership of one of those? What are those? Not sure what it is, but I appreciate it.
Anyhow, I see you want to continue this. Please go look at their WHIPs, BAA, home runs, etc. etc. etc. Report back to me on those and we'll see whether Arrieta was even remotely close to where Greinke was on August 9. (Hint: he wasn't)
If "being in the discussion" doesn't mean that someone is "right there with" the leader, then what's the point? Then any player in the MLB could be in the discussion. Sure, hypothetically we could have discussed Jimmy Nelson as a candidate for the Cy Young, but, just like Arrieta on August 9, it starts and ends with, "He's not even remotely close to being in contention for this award."
What Arrieta did from April through August 9 did not come close to winning him the Cy Young Award. What he did in the last 2 months of the season won him the Cy Young Award.