The MLB season is in full swing, yet one of the bigger storylines around the league involves a player who isn't even on a team. That player is Tim Lincecum who had hip surgery toward the end of last season and is starting to get back into the swing of things.
Lincecum is not under contract with any team despite the fact that he has drawn a lot of interest. The reason for that is he wants to be fully ready to go before he decides which team he will play for. Lincecum will most certainly pitch in the majors at some point this year, barring injury, but the question is, for which team?
Lincecum's former team, the San Francisco Giants, is among the teams that are said to have interest, but their interest in him is predicated on the fact that he accepts a role as a relief pitcher. The Giants make sense for Lincecum considering that's where he has been his entire career, but he is set on continuing to start, and it seems like there are teams that will allow him to do so.
More intrigue was added to Lincecum possibly returning to the Giants when he was spotted pitching at their complex in Arizona earlier this week. While many fans might take that as a sign that he will sign with the Giants, it is not. The Giants were likely just letting him use their facilities as he is ramping up his throwing program.
The two-time Cy Young award winner is expected to have a showcase where he demonstrates to interested teams that he is still capable of pitching at a high level. There are reports that about 20 teams, and possibly more, will have interest in signing Lincecum when he is ready. The San Diego Padres are a team that is said to have strong interest, while the Oakland Athletics said they would attend the showcase.
Lincecum is still just 31 years old, but he is nowhere near the same pitcher as he was when he first came up to the big leagues. Having said that, the four-time All-Star is still capable of helping a team's starting rotation as he had a decent 4.13 ERA last season. Now that Lincecum is healthy and apparently feeling good, it seems like he will have his choice of which team to pitch for. Giants fans, though, shouldn't expect it to be them as long as Lincecum still wants to be a starting pitcher.
