The San Francisco Giants have been linked to Tim Lincecum during the pitcher's first year as a free agent. However, the team signed a number of other starting pitchers this offseason and there's perhaps no room for the right-hander in their starting rotation.
But would they re-sign him if they didn't have to pay a penny?
MySpace co-founder Tom Anderson, who is apparently a huge Giants fan, said on Twitter that he'd pay for Lincecum's contract if the team opted to keep him.
Can we keep @timLincecum if I pay for it? #6manrotation ! @sfgiants @knbr @extrabaggs @mccoveychron pic.twitter.com/tQG2jmG0Mt
— Tom Anderson (@myspacetom) January 26, 2016
Anderson certainly has the money to pay for Lincecum. MySpace, which was one of the first widely popular social media platforms on the Internet, was purchased by News Corporation for $580 million back in 2005, just two years after its launch date. Anderson's Twitter profile reads, "Enjoying being retired."
Lincecum, 31, is coming off hip surgery and he plans to throw for teams in February as he continues to recover and build up his strength. However, his final four seasons with the Giants were terrible compared to his twilight years from 2008-2011. The right-hander went 62-36 with a 2.81 ERA from 2008-2011. He won two NL Cy Young awards ('08 and '09) and was voted an All-Star those four seasons. He finished his career in San Fran with a 39-42 record in addition to a 4.68 ERA from 2012-2015 and has seemingly been unable to get back on track.
He made 15 starts in 2015 and went 7-4 with a 4.13 ERA before his injured hip sidelined him, but unless the Giants want to use him in the bullpen, it's clear they've moved on from him as a starter after signing Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto this offseason. Their rotation consists of those two as well as Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy and Chris Heston.
The Giants' bullpen is indeed thin and they could perhaps use Lincecum in there, but many MLB clubs have contacted his representation, which means there could be interest in him as a starter if everything works out.
"If Lincecum is healthy and impresses teams in his showcase, he could get offers to join big-league rotations, in which case his days as a Giant would be over. For now, the Giants' only competition for pitching jobs is in the bullpen," writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
It's unclear what type of offer he'd get if he proves he's 100 percent healthy and capable of pitching effectively, but at this point it doesn't seem as if MySpace Tom's wishes are going to come true - even if he is willing to pay every dollar for The Freak.
