Tie up tiller/lock wheel when away? Or not.

I don't think that this topic is extremely important as I am certain there are people on both sides of the aisle, as there always are.
On to the question.

When you are away from your boat for any length of time do you (A) tie up your tiller/lock your wheel to eliminate the swinging of the rudder due to current, OR, (B) don't do anything to the tiller/wheel and let it swing free if it needs to?

The people who might vote for option (A) (this could be a poll but it ain't that important IMHO) will claim that they are saving wear and tear on their rudder steering systems (lower bushing or quadrant and cables) while the tied up tiller takes or locked wheel takes the strain of keeping the rudder straight, while the people who might vote for option (B) may think that they are reducing the wear on the components of their steering systems by letting the rudder move about as the tide and current do while reducing stress on their rudder or wheel mechanism.

There may be several considerations to take into account in your choice such as: are you at a slip in a low current and tide area or on a mooring where there is much potential for currents and tides. Another may be the type of rudder you have: skeg hung or free standing spade rudder or sweep oar.

Isn't this a bit like splitting hairs? Plenty of variables may make your decision for you like this one: have you ever thought about this before?

Do any of you old Salts think this is even worth commenting on?

My best.