The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog » Tim Lincecum Giants

Report: Lincecum, Giants remain far apart in contract talks

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:22:44 +0000

The San Francisco Giants have had a rather quiet winter. Sure they made two trades in efforts to improve their weak offense, but acquiring outfielder Melky Cabrera for starter Jonathan Sanchez, and Angel Pagan for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez was hardly the moves fans were expecting. The Giants essentially said that they would be frugal this offseason and thus far, they’ve kept their word.

But nobody expected the club to struggle re-signing one of its coveted pitchers, especially the ace of the staff.

According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, there is still a “sizable gap” in long-term contract talks between the Giants and Tim Lincecum. The club is believed to have improved upon its initial four-year offer from this summer, but Lincecum is thought to be seeking an eight-year deal.

Those close to the negotiations tell Heyman that both sides are weighing one-and-two-year contracts in case a long-term deal cannot be reached. Considering Lincecum already owns two Cy Young awards, helped the Giants win their first World Series title in San Francisco, and is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.74 ERA with 220 strikeouts, one would think San Francisco would jump at the chance to re-sign one of its prized pitching possessions. But apparently frugal is winning out at the moment.

The Giants also have a decision to make about No. 2 starter Matt Cain, who becomes a free agent at the end of the season. Cain posted career-highs in ERA (2.88) and WHIP (1.083), even though he only won 12 games last season. He’s been repeatedly burned by lack of run support over the years and if the Giants don’t want to pony up to keep him happy, maybe he’ll think about moving on after the 2012 season. He could potentially win 20 games with a team like the Yankees or Red Sox, who are constantly looking for good pitching.

If Buster Posey (leg) makes a full recovery, Pablo Sandoval keeps up on his offseason conditioning, and youngster Brandon Belt takes a major step in his development, the Giants’ offense won’t be as bad as it was in 2011. (Then again, how could be any worse?) But this club is built on its pitching so GM Brian Sabean has a lot of work to do in order to keep guys like Lincecum and Cain around long enough for the offense to finally blossom.

Media overreaction or serious problem? Tim Lincecum is struggling.

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:00:57 +0000

When your run-of-the-mill starting pitcher suffers back-to-back poor outings, the media assumes he’s in a funk and usually nothing more is made out of it. But when the defending two-time Cy Young award winner suffers back-to-back poor outings, the media goes into a Mountain Dew-mixed-with-cocaine-like frenzy and poses questions such as: What’s wrong with Tim Lincecum? What’s wrong with Tim Lincecum! What’s wrong with Tiqiowehgoiwgh….

After giving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings on Wednesday night in a loss to the Nationals, all the talk in San Francisco yesterday was about Lincecum’s struggles. He also pitched poorly in a no-decision against the Diamondbacks in the start prior to his outing on Wednesday and has now walked five batters in each of his last three games after walking just 10 in his first seven starts combined. He has routinely fallen behind hitters early in counts and his main issue has been control.

But before this becomes national news, remember that Lincecum held the Astros to one run over eight innings on May 15 and also struck out 13 Marlins while walking just one on May 4. It’s not like he’s been in a season-long funk and the Giants have this huge crisis on their hands; he just needs to figure out what has ailed him over these last two games.

I’m not Dave Righetti, but it appears as though Lincecum’s struggles are mental. Early in the game Wednesday night against the Nationals, he allowed a runner a free 90 feet when he couldn’t handle the throw back from first baseman Aubrey Huff following a pickoff attempt. Those things happen when a player isn’t focused and it seems as though Lincecum’s struggles are getting inside his head and he’s pressing. The more an athlete fights his struggles, the more his struggles consume him and in my non-professional opinion, I think that’s what’s happening to Lincecum. Maybe he also has a small mechanical issue that Righetti can iron out, but it seems as if he’s suffering from lack of confidence more than anything else. (Not that he doesn’t have confidence, but maybe the seed of doubt has been planted in his head.)

Another underlining issue is the fact that the Giants paid him this past offseason (two years, $23 million), so now he has to deal with the pressures of trying to live up to a contract. If there’s one person that knows about that it’s Lincecum’s teammate and good friend, Barry Zito, who signed a $126 million contract with the Giants in 2007. Zito is living proof that the pressures of a contract can eat away at a player.

When things start to go badly for an athlete, he never feels like he’ll find success again. But Lincecum is an elite pitcher and it’s because he’s so good that people have already started hitting the panic button after two bad outings. During a 162-game season, the media has to talk about something and it has latched onto Lincecum after Wednesday night.

But he’ll be fine – everyone goes through these rough patches. Even two-time Cy Young winners.

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Giants, Lincecum avoid arbitration with two-year agreement

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:00:43 +0000

The Giants have reached a two-year, $23 million contract with ace Tim Lincecum, which allows the two sides to avoid an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for today.

According to ESPN.com, Lincecum will receive $8 million this year and $13 million in 2011, as well as a $2 million signing bonus. He also has a chance to earn performance and award bonuses, although no details have been provided on what those incentives are.

This is great news for both sides, as arbitration hearings can sometimes get messy between team and player. Lincecum had filed for $13 million in arbitration, which would have broke Ryan Howard’s mark of $10 million in 2008. The Giants submitted $8 million for Lincecum, which was viewed by many to be a lowball offer for a two-time All-Star and Cy Young winner. Lincecum also owns a 40-17 record and a 2.90 ERA with 676 strikeouts in only three seasons.

After overpaying for Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand and Edgar Renteria (just to name a few) offer the last couple of seasons, the Giants made the right decision coming to an agreement with Lincecum before the hearing. Along with Pablo Sandoval, Lincecum is the face of the franchise and the ace of a fantastic pitching rotation that also features emerging star Matt Cain, top prospect Madison Bumgarner and 27-year-old Jonathan Sanchez, who threw a no-hitter in 2009.

Now that they have come to terms with Lincecum, the Giants can focus on what hopes to be a successful 2010 campaign. They have enough pitching to challenge for a postseason berth, but their offense has been among the league’s worst for several years now. The club hopes that the moves they made this offseason (i.e. signing free agents Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff, as well as re-signing Freddy Sanchez and Juan Uribe) will be enough to get the Giants back into the postseason.

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Giants offer Lincecum three-years, $37 million

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:02:05 +0000

In a surprising twist of events, a source tells John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that the Giants have offered ace Tim Lincecum a three-year, $37 million contract. The deal would pay the pitcher $9.5 million, $12.5 million and $15 million over the next three years, although Shea reports that Lincecum’s camp countered with a proposal for over $40 million.

If not, Friday’s hearing in Florida would decide whether Lincecum’s 2010 salary is $13 million (the figure he submitted) or $8 million (the figure submitted by the Giants).

The record for a player eligible for arbitration for the first time is $10 million (Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard), $4.35 million for a starting pitcher (Dontrelle Willis, Cole Hamels). It’s believed Lincecum’s agent, Rich Thurman, negotiating for a multiyear deal, has asked for a first-year salary close to the $13 million figure he submitted.

It was just yesterday that I hammered the Giants for creating a lose-lose situation by only offering Lincecum $8 million in arbitration and then following through with the hearing by setting it up for this Friday. I maintained they were running a risk of not only losing in arbitration, but also upsetting Lincecum (their franchise player) in the process by low-balling him with their $8 million offer.

But this changes everything. Now the Giants are showing their commitment to Lincecum by offering a fair deal that works for both sides. And if they’re only a few million apart, then hopefully they get something worked out by tomorrow and avoid a potentially messy arbitration hearing.

The Giants went from a lose-lose situation into a potentially positive one, although let’s see if they can close the deal before tomorrow.

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Lincecum arbitration hearing a lose-lose situation for Giants

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:35:30 +0000

Far be it for me to question what the inner workings of a professional baseball organization is doing, but what in God’s name are the San Francisco Giants thinking?

In mid-January, Tim Lincecum field for $13 million in arbitration, while the Giants submitted an $8 million figure. Many viewed the situation as the Giants low-balling their ace pitcher, but I figured that the $8 million would be used as a starting point for the club and Lincecum to reach a deal outside of the courtroom. I even told my cohort here at The Scores Report, John Paulsen, that they would likely avoid arbitration altogether and meet somewhere in the middle.

But upon waking this morning I read: Giants, Lincecum set arbitration hearing for Friday.

Nice prediction, Stalter.

Unless I’m missing the big picture here, the Giants have done a fantastic job of setting themselves up in a lose-lose situation. By submitting $8 million and then actually following through with the hearing, they risk not only pissing off Lincecum but also losing $13 million in arbitration. After all, what are they going to use against Lincecum – his RBI totals?

Fortunately for the Giants, Lincecum is being a total professional about the situation. He’s on record saying that he understands the business part of baseball and that it’s nothing personal. He also understands that the Giants could use his October 30 pot charge against him during the hearing, although that’s about the only thing the club has against the two-time Cy Young winner.

For the life of me I don’t know why the Giants couldn’t settle with Lincecum on a $10 or $12 million deal to avoid arbitration. Or a two-year deal at $25 or $30 million, seeing as how this is the same brain trust that gave the ultra-useless Edgar Renteria a two-year, $18.5 million contract in December of 2008. If Renteria is worth $18.5 million over two years, than Lincecum is worth roughly $9 billion and the deed to the Playboy mansion.

Again, maybe I’m missing the bigger picture. Maybe the Giants don’t want to shell out big bucks for Lincecum and then watch his arm fall off in a year. Maybe they’re worried about his marijuana charge or that he’ll eventually pick up a hobby like hunting for great white sharks. Who knows.

What I do know is that nothing good will come out of this arbitration hearing on Friday. If they win, then Lincecum gets less than he’s worth and may eventually resent the Giants for it. If they lose, then they pay Lincecum more than they wanted and they still run the risk of having him resent them in the end. I realize he’s under their control for the next four years (his remaining arbitration years), but this just doesn’t seem like a wise decision by a club that is known for having their choices come back to haunt them.

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Lincecum, Giants headed to arbitration hearing?

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:02:23 +0000

The Giants are likely headed toward an arbitration hearing with their ace Tim Lincecum, as the sides remain far apart on the pitcher’s 2010 salary.

From the San Jose Mercury News:

The Giants and Lincecum exchanged salary offers two weeks ago; the Giants filed at $8 million, the highest number offered by a club to a player with less than three years of service time. Lincecum’s camp filed at $13 million, a record-setting number that many in the industry still considered low.

Industry sources said that it made sense for Thurman to file a “winnable” number if he expected the case to reach a hearing. Once at that stage, an arbiter considers the evidence, hears arguments and chooses one salary or another — with no middle ground.

I’d be shocked if an arbiter sided with the Giants at $8 million. Lincecum already has two Cy Young awards, is a two-time All-Star and the Giants finished with a winning record last season, which are all things an arbiter looks at.

The Giants have an interesting situation on their hands in regards to Lincecum’s long-term future. He has four more years of arbitration and if they wanted to, the club could go year to year and continue to pay him in the $13-20 million range (assuming his arbitration number continues to rise). Assuming he doesn’t get hurt and leaves via free agency at the end of those four years, then the Giants would have had him for four years at around $80 million.

Now, if they wanted to buy out his remaining arbitration years with a long-term contract, then the Giants will guarantee Lincecum upwards of $100 million. If he gets hurt, then they’re screwed but at least he’s locked in and they don’t have to worry about going year to year with arbitration and getting embarrassed with offers like $8 million for one of baseball’s best pitchers.

With the way he’s looked the past two seasons, I would hurry to lock Lincecum up to a four or five year deal if I were the Giants. But he’s only 25 and no matter great he’s pitched over the last two years, there’s no guarantee for future success. If his arm fails off in a year, the Giants would have made the right decision to take things year by year.

Either way, “The Franchise” is under the Giants’ control for the next four years.

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Giants’ ace Lincecum facing marijuana charges

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:30:01 +0000

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Reigning NL CY Young winner Tim Lincecum is facing misdemeanor marijuana charges following a traffic stop in Washington.

From the San Jose Mercury News:

The 2008 Cy Young Award winner also was cited for driving his 2006 Mercedes 74 mph along a 60 mph stretch of Interstate 5 near Hazel Dell, Wash., police said.

After an officer detected the smell of marijuana, the two-time All-Star complied with a request to turn over 3.3 grams of the substance and a pipe from the car’s center console. Because the officer did not judge Lincecum to be impaired, he cited him and allowed him to continue.

Lincecum, 25, entered a plea of not guilty through his attorney Monday, according to court records obtained by The Associated Press. He is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 22 and faces fines of $622 for the misdemeanor charges, police said.

I’m not going to blow this story up and make it bigger deal out of it than what it really is, but there’s one thing I don’t get: He knows he’s driving around with the pot, so why go 74 mph in a 60 mph zone? If you’re going to speed around in a Mercedes with pot in his car, why not just hold a sign out the window with a big marijuana leaf drawn on it too?

This will all blow over in due time and it’s highly unlikely the Giants will punish Lincecum because of this. But hopefully he’s a little humbled by the sitaution and realizes that he’s a celebrity and has to be a little smarter than to speed around in his car with pot in the center console.