Former San Francisco Giants pitcher and free agent Tim Lincecum has experienced quite a fall from grace where individual performance is concerned over the past four seasons. The two-time Cy Young and three-time World Series winner put together a dominant four-year stretch between 2008-11, but he has looked nothing like that guy since.
In 2011, Lincecum went 13-14 with a 2.74 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Just a year later in 2012, he went 10-15 with an alarming 5.18 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. While his record was similar, it was clear he was on the decline despite still technically being in his prime at just 28 years old.
Lincecum’s wild mechanics caused his demise, but with his slight frame, his motion was the only reason he was able to generate enough torque to have the overwhelming success he had in his prime.
Lincecum’s been average at best over the last three seasons, although he flashed glimpses of his former self in 2015 prior to injuring his hip. He made 15 starts last season for the Giants, and went 7-4 with a 4.13 ERA and 1.48 WHIP.
So often in baseball we speak of pitchers who make “quality starts.” A quality start is considered an outing of six innings pitched, with three runs maximum given up. This means any starting pitcher with a 4.50 ERA or under over the course of the season has done a decent job, and Lincecum appears to still be capable of achieving that mark.
Now, at 31 years old and coming off hip surgery, he’s a free agent and is beginning to draw interest from several teams, most notably the Baltimore Orioles.
The #Orioles have expressed interest in RHP Tim Lincecum. How serious could it be? @EddieInTheYard‘s take: https://t.co/u5sMTfV6g2
— Baltimore Sun Sports (@BaltSunSports) February 4, 2016
The Orioles inexplicably allowed Wei-Yin Chen to sign with the Miami Marlins and now are in desperate need of adding another starting pitcher into the mix. Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jimenez and Kevin Gausman are solid, but they aren’t exactly intimidating the AL East.
Lincecum is expected to throw off the mound for teams this month. He’s reportedly only open to signing a major-league deal, which could hurt his chances with certain clubs not willing to gamble on his health.
The Orioles don’t appear to be interested in spending on Yovani Gallardo, who’s the only noteworthy pitcher still available in free agency. At this point, offering a team-friendly, incentive-laden deal with a low base salary to Lincecum appears to be Baltimore’s best bet.
