Al Melchior and I have been debating the merits of stashing the Orioles' Kevin Gausman vs. dropping him after his seven-run shellacking at the Nationals Tuesday, and here is my admittedly convoluted take:
If you play in a league where starting pitching abounds, with relatively high-end options like Phil Hughes, Jonathon Niese and John Lackey still available on the waiver wire, then those options are more likely to attract the attention of your leaguemates than a struggling call-up, and you should feel comfortable releasing Gausman with the hope of picking him up later, whenever he shows signs of putting it all together. If, on the other hand, the best pitchers available on your league's waiver wire are relatively low-end types like Scott Diamond and Lucas Harrell, you're better off sticking with Gausman and hoping for the best. It's a matter of protecting him from other owners, you see. In some leagues, it's more necessary than others.
Now, here's where it gets tricky. If you play in a league that uses FAAB rather than add-drop for free-agent acquisitions and you invested more in Gausman than a simple roster spot, you should probably stick with him a little longer just so you don't risk squandering that investment for a flavor-of-the-week type.