Former Cy Young winner Lincecum reportedly seeks short-term deal

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, San Francisco Giants right-hander and former Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum will seek a short-term deal this winter, when he is expected to hit the free agent market.

Heyman also confirmed a report made by Comcast Bay Area that the Giants offered a two-year deal that Lincecum declined earlier this year.

Lincecum, 29, is a former first round pick and was widely considered to be one of the best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball as recently as 2011. However, back-to-back disappointing seasons have left Lincecum seeking a way to rebuild his value – through a short-term deal.

In 2012, his first major decline, he went 10-15 and posted an earned run average over two-and-a-half points higher than the previous season, coming in at 5.18. The year prior, despite a losing record of 10-13, Lincecum had a sterling 2.74 earned run average – reminiscent of his back-to-back Cy Young Awards, which came in 2008 and 2009.

Lincecum has been reportedly linked to the Seattle Mariners, given he his originally from the state of Washington, playing his college ball in Seattle itself. However, no formal discussions can take place between those two sides until five days after the World Series ends later this month.

In his career, the right-hander is 89-70 with a 3.46 ERA. He has made 220 starts and one regular season relief appearance since making his big league debut with San Francisco in 2007.