A week after his showcase for MLB scouts, Tim Lincecum has apparently caught the eyes of three teams in particular.
After throwing in front of scouts from about 20 MLB teams last week, Tim Lincecum‘s next big league destination appears to be narrowing to a few possibilities. According to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox are currently the clubs most interested in the free agent right-hander:
Sources: #SFGiants, #Angels, #WhiteSox most interested in Lincecum. Not close to decision.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 12, 2016
Rosenthal went on to caution that two teams previously linked to Lincecum who are not presently in the running are the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners.
The 31-year-old Lincecum reportedly looked good during his showcase, with his fastball topping out at 91 mph. He also showed impressive breaking action on his curveball, as per the San Jose Mercury News.
Lincecum has pitched for the Giants in all nine seasons of his major league career, so it makes sense to look to them first as a potential landing spot. However, San Francisco is supposedly only interested in its former star hurler as a relief option, a notion backed up yesterday by MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. By all accounts, Lincecum is holding out for a rotation spot.
Nevertheless, the Giants starting staff as currently constructed has shown some definite weakness at the back-end. San Francisco starters own a 4.41 ERA as a unit, placing them 17th in MLB. The primary culprits for that underwhelming ranking? Matt Cain and Jake Peavy, who carry 6.69 and 8.47 ERAs, respectively.
It wouldn’t be very hard for Lincecum to turn in a better performance than either of those, but the Giants may want to remain patient with their veteran number-four and five starters. Still, we wouldn’t completely rule out a return to the franchise where Lincecum won back-to-back Cy Young awards in 2008 and 2009.
The Angels are a team for which virtually nothing has gone right this year, so rolling the dice on Lincecum could be an attractive move for them. Staff ace Garrett Richards will miss the rest of the season with a torn elbow ligament, and starters C.J. Wilson and Andrew Heaney also find themselves on the DL at the moment.
Somewhat perplexingly, the Halos still appear determined to win this year, making moves in an effort to bolster their major league roster. If that’s the approach they want to take, why not continue the process by bringing Lincecum into the fold? Known for his West Coast preferences, the location would likely be a nice fit.
The Windy City may not be the same as sunny California, but the White Sox could be an intriguing option for Lincecum as well. On the surface, they don’t seem to have a pressing need for starting pitching help. ChiSox starters have an overall 3.45 ERA, good for sixth among both leagues. Lefties Chris Sale and Jose Quintana, both rocking ERAs under 2.00, have a lot to do with that.
The team recently released underwhelming veteran John Danks, though, and have turned to former Oriole Miguel Gonzalez to bring up the bottom of the rotation. The White Sox might view Lincecum as a better alternative, and they also might be wondering if Mat Latos‘ surprising early form (3.40 ERA in seven outings) is likely to last.
Any team that decides to sign Lincecum will probably be looking at his first eight starts of 2015, in which he managed a 2.08 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .220 average over 47.2 innings. The wheels fell off at that point (7.53 ERA and .314 BAA in next seven appearances), but Lincecum and his prospective suitors will hope the hip injury that ultimately ended his season was to blame.
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No one should expect a return to his glory days, but if healthy, Lincecum is an opportunity for a club in need of a rotation boost to try to catch lightning in a bottle. Which team do you think is the best fit? Let us know in the comment section below.