Giants sign Tim Lincecum to two year, $35 million contract

[Upton]

The most recognizable pitcher in franchise history will be a Giant for at least two more seasons.

The Giants and right-hander Tim Lincecum agreed to a two-year, $35 million deal Tuesday, pending a physical. Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, was days away from becoming a free agent for the first time.

Drafted 10th overall in 2006, Lincecum is 89-70 in seven seasons with the Giants with a 3.46 ERA. He was 10-14 last season with a 4.37 ERA and threw his first career no-hitter.

http://www.mercurynews.com/giants/ci_24364484/giants-sign-tim-lincecum-two-year-contract?source=rss

I thought he was gone and didn't really care. 17.5 million a year for a guy who had an ERA of 4.37 in 2013 after a 5.18 in 2012 sounds like an overpay. Perhaps the Giants feel better days are ahead for Tim, and likely he's being paid for being one of the faces of the franchise as much as anything else.

[Auggie]

1. He was pitching better in the last few months ...

but I agree -- that's a lot of dough for those stats.

You can bet this isn't just a Sabean decision -- ownership had to have signed off. Considering that without him the Giants were left with two signed starters, and with the Dodgers surely in the hunt for more pitching, what else could they do? It's a preemptive move probably as much as anything else.

[Upton]

3. Lincecum puts people in the seats too..

I just hope ownership is willing to continue to spend, and this and Pence's deal doesn't preclude them for filling that big hole in LF.. Or Sabean best get real creative because right now this team looks exactly like last years..

[Auggie]

8. Talk is the free agent market is deeper in first baseman ...

that would put Belt in left, with Blanco the late innings defensive replacement.

[Upton]

9. Yep, though the White Sox have signed Tony Abreu..

that's who I would have liked to see. I've also read the Giants may be interested in Brian McCann..which presumably would move Posey to 1B and Belt to LF..Getting Buster out from behind the plate seems like a good idea, his power numbers and average fell off drastically the last two months of the season..He's getting beat up back there and though I know he wants to catch, his real value to the Giants is as a hitter.

[El Supremo]

2. "The most recognizable pitcher in franchise history"?

Just because he is weird looking? Juan Marichal, Carl Hubbell and Christy Mathewson were certainly better pitchers.

[Upton]

4. I thought of Marichal when I read that quote..

certainly he's right there. The other two may have accomplished a lot, but recognizable?..not so much.

[Kingofalldems]

5. Velocity dropped from 92 to 90.

4.76 ERA over the last 2 yrs.

[Upton]

6. Yes, I know..he's having to reinvent himself..

he can longer rely on the overpowering stuff, it's more about location. He did show some improvement last year over 2012, though if you remember he was virtually unhittable as a reliever in the post season that year. We'll see what happens, but this signing isn't just numbers, it's about the Bay Area's special love for #55 ....

[Kingofalldems]

7. He would be excellent out of the pen.

[hughee99]

10. Paying a premium for past performance, the Giants could better use

the money elsewhere.

[Upton]

11. You're right..though technically he took a pay cut..

and this is a marketing decision, it's not just based on Lincecum's on field performance. The money only matters if the Giants are now unwilling or unable to go after other players to fill holes because of the large contracts given to Lincecum or even Pence.

The Giants aren't hurting for money, their principal owner is worth billions. The ownership group can spend as much as they're comfortable with.. Perhaps these contracts are an indication the Giants are going to do whatever it takes to keep up with the Dodgers..if that's the case, then I'm all for it.

[hughee99]

12. Well, it's less than his last contract, but more than he's worth.

I don't think he'd get this on the open market.

As for spending the money, I haven't seen any evidence yet that the Giants are prepared to spend the kind of money to keep pace with the Dodgers (who spent about $216 million this year), but they can certainly compete with their current payroll if they spend their money wisely. The team that spends the most has only won 1 time since 2001, but a top 12 team wins pretty much every year. This year only 3 of the top 10 made the playoffs.