If you're a free agent and have yet to sign with an MLB team, it's more than likely really bad news. But Tim Lincecum is in a different boat. The right-hander and former San Francisco Giant is working to get back to "Big Time Timmy Jim" status as he hopes to land an MLB contract before the 2016 season.
There's no shortage of interest in the 31-year-old, as it was reported earlier in the offseason that more than 20 teams contacted his agent. He underwent hip surgery at the end of last season and it was said he's expected to make a full recovery in order to be ready for the start of the season.
Lincecum went 7-4 with a 4.13 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 15 starts before being shut down for the year. He plans to throw for teams at some point before the beginning of 2016.
So where might the two-time NL Cy Young winner land?
Here are our top three destinations for Linceum.
San Diego Padres
Up until this point, the Pads have been the only team consistently and most frequently linked to the right-hander. In fact, earlier this week Dennis Lin San Diego Union-Tribune reported the Padres have been "very active" on Lincecum this late in the offseason as the club is still trying to fill the final two spots in their starting rotation.
San Diego let Ian Kennedy walk in free agency, which left a big vacancy amongst the starting cast. Odrisamer Despaigne was also dealt to the Baltimore Orioles. Right now the depth chart lists Brandon Maurer, Carlos Villanueva, Colin Rea, Robbie Erlin and Luis Perdomo as options, so it's clear the Padres can use a more established arm.
Kansas City Royals
Well, here's something funny. The Royals were reportedly "escorted out" of Lincecum's secret pitching location (where he's been training all offseason) today. Think they're interested if they're conducting a clandestine operation to get a look at him?
Kansas City re-signed Chris Young and added Ian Kennedy, Dillon Gee, Mike Minor and Chien Ming-Wang, but they could use another steady option at the back end of the rotation. The team also doesn't really know what to expect out of Kris Medlen, who has pitched in 47 games over the past three years. Danny Duffy is another rotation option, but the Royals might need to use him in the bullpen after replacing the losses of Greg Holland and Ryan Madson with only Joakim Soria.
Lincecum obviously isn't a surefire option, but if he looks healthy and effective, a one-year deal wouldn't be a bad gamble for the World Champions.
New York Yankees
This scenario has also been speculated a bit since the health of the entire Yankees rotation is unknown. Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi and CC Sabathia could go down any minute and it's unknown if Ivan Nova or Bryan Mitchell would be able to fill in effectively.
Lincecum was a fan-favorite in the big market of San Francisco, so it's hard to believe New Yorkers wouldn't enjoy having him join the Yanks. However, if Lincecum wants to start, this scenario may have to wait a little while as the Yankees sort things out during spring training. If one of their starters gets hurt or it's decided somebody needs to be moved to the bullpen, then Lincecum could be a fit to slide into the back end of the rotation.
Still, it's a realistic possibility given every factor involved here.
New York has already planned to send scouts to Lincecum's future showcase, so that's a pretty good indicator of their level of interest.
