Is Tim Lincecum making the right call signing with Texas Rangers?
By Sean Sears
It’s been reported that the former Giants great Tim Lincecum has narrowed his list down to a few times, and is expected to sign in the near future.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, Lincecum is preparing to leave for Arizona soon, with the Giants and Rangers being listed as the favorites to sign him.
"The former San Francisco Giants star has received very strong interest from the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and a few others, and it’s said he’s preparing to fly to Arizona, so all the finalists train there. The Dodgers and Rangers are among teams that are willing to give Lincecum a major league deal."
Heyman also listed the Giants as a team that has shown interest, but Lincecum’s former club below the Rangers and Dodgers. The other teams that went to see Lincecum’s showcase (Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers, Padres, Braves, Mariners, Phillies, Twins, Tigers, Orioles, and Cardinals) all showed some interest but it’s unknown at this point if any would offer a major league deal.
For Lincecum, the best fit for him seemingly would have been in L.A. with the Dodgers. With Julio Urias still a massive question mark for 2018, the Dodgers don’t have much pitching depth and could likely use an upgrade over Huyn-Jin Ryu, who has some health concerns of his own.
The Rangers likely need a starter more than most of the teams listed earlier and have already collected a slew of past-their-prime starters, but Lincecum is likely a tier above guys like Bartolo Colon and Edinson Volquez. But the Rangers don’t give Lincecum the chance to win, something he’s assumably hunting for late in his career.
Of course, he could always transition into a reliever role, a spot that’s completely up for grabs right now for the Rangers. And according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the Rangers might have the edge at the moment.
Sources: Tim Lincecum is deep into talks with the Texas Rangers on a one-year major league deal, and the expectation is it gets done soon. One possible plan for Lincecum: pitch out of the bullpen. And with the Rangers' closer job wide open, he's got a good shot at securing it.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 27, 2018
This doesn’t matter now, but here’s a thought: Imagine an alternate universe where Lincecum signs with the Padres, the team he’s happened to throw both his no-hitters against (not that it matters). Right now, San Diego is a team with few concrete options in their rotation, and while Lincecum isn’t a sure-fire bet to be great, he gives them a veteran who knows how to win.
Lincecum is heading to Texas, though, which is a perfectly fine landing spot. Whether or not he can work his way into the rotation and revive his career will be the early-season baseball story we never knew we’d follow so closely.