This SP, <a style="color:black;" href="http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=3032168" target="_blank">Esteban Gomez</a>, has been arbed twice and is now asking $4.4M/3 yrs. he's my 4/5 SP. Would you sign him or just promote this guy for the ML minimum. <a style="color:black;" href="http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=3702523" target="_blank">Lyle Shaw</a>.

I'd promote Shaw. He'll give you more innings and at much better health. Plus he's better anyway.

I like Gomez, but I see Shaw is throwing this year and not Gomez.  Gomez has mediocre numbers, but he gets the most out of them because his Control is great and he has a superb first pitch.  If you can get three more years our of thim like the last three, for 4.5M a year, he's a bargain.

I don't know. Is over 4,000,000 too much for a .500 sp? Shaw will be ML Mon salary

til arb and would prob post similar numbers.

I would promote the minor leaguer, and not because he is better.  He isn't.  But they are close enough that you can put that money elsewhere and probably make your team better.  If he is an SP5-ish type guy you can deal with just someone who eats innings.  If you make the postseason, most SP5 types (and even SP4's) either hit the bullpen or just get rested anyway. 

Try to trade the arb guy for another future SP5 type and call up the rook.  Once the rook hits arb, you will be able to send him packing and call up the future SP5, rinse and repeat.

My answer is (C), neither of the above.  Cut Gomez, and carry the empty slot into FA and fill it then.

Gomez is a league average long reliever/short starter.  You should be able to find such a player in FA for somewhat less than $4M; not dirt cheap, but in the $2-3M range.  Hell, it might even be Gomez himself.  But Shaw isn't a major leaguer; he has outright bad control and no other excellent ratings to balance that out.  He's certainly not the answer.  Wait until late in the FA period and find the bargain.

As an update to this thread, I ended up resigning Gomez. It appears to have been a good decision based on results. Over the 3 season contract he's gone 42-20, less hits than IP, good OBA, basically very good stats across the board. Shaw is still in the MiL but will prob come up as a long reliever,spot SP next season. As a result of the last 3 years, Gomez has been rewarded with a new 2 year deal at the same $4.4M per