Call to the pen
Fansided

MLB: Five Potential Landing Spots For Tim Lincecum

By Gavin Lee

Apr 10, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum (55) walks off the field after the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum (55) walks off the field after the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next

5. Oakland Athletics

Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Why not head to the same place that Kazmir really cemented his return to the upper-echelon of pitching? The Oakland Athletics have recently lost starter Chris Bassitt to Tommy John surgery, and are currently ranked 20th in terms of starters ERA. Their FIP is even worse than that, ranking them 24th at an ugly 4.56.

The A’s do have top prospect Sean Manea now in the big league rotation, and aren’t really expected to contend for the AL West this year, but they’ve gone after reclamation projects in the past. Signing Lincecum to a cheap two year deal may be right up their alley as they look to keep costs down. The huge ballpark they play in has done wonders for pitchers in the past, and it should help the fly-ball tendancies of Lincecum should he decide to head back to the Bay area.

The Athletics have been confirmed as being one of the teams that attended the showcase Friday afternoon, and should have an inside track since Lincecum is so familiar with the area, having pitched exclusively for San Francisco in the past.  The American League might also suit him, since he would no longer be required to hit and run with the hip issues.

For his part, Lincecum has pitched extremely well in four starts in O.co Coliseum, striking out 38 batters in 28 innings and holding a 1.93 ERA. Calling that home for another 10 or so starts could really help to build his value back up in his bid for a return to the top.

Next: Number 4

Home/MLB News