Padres News: Future San Diego Padre, Tim Lincecum?
I’ve written about Tim Lincecum several times already this offseason, for better or for worse. I never thought I would be writing this much about someone like Lincecum, but alas, here I am. It seems pretty clear he won’t be headed back to San Francisco for next season, given their completed rotation and his clear desire to be starter in 2016 and beyond. As many as 20 teams have expressed varying levels of interest or reached out, but one of the most interested teams is the San Diego Padres.
As I just said on @MLBNetwork, 20 teams, including #SFGiants, reached out on lincecum. Padres, marlins, O’s big interest
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 19, 2016
Of all 20 teams, the Padres, Marlins and Orioles seem to be the three teams with the most clear interest. And with all three teams having weak back ends of their respective rotations, the fit for all three makes a great deal of sense. However, given his experience in the National League West, the fit with the Padres makes the most sense of all.
The Padres already have the top of the rotation set with Tyson Ross, James Shields, and Andrew Cashner already slated to be the starters for the Padres first series of the year, but the four and five spots are still up for grabs. The Padres do have the likes of Brandon Maurer, Colin Rea, Brandon Morrow, Luis Perdomo, Drew Pomeranz, and others potentially vying for those spots, but no team can ever have too much pitching depth. Therefore, considering Lincecum still makes a great deal of sense.
As mentioned in previous articles, Lincecum is coming off a poor season, and really a poor few seasons, but he is looking to make a comeback after getting offseason hip surgery. Lincecum is said to be in great shape, and is also supposedly looking good on the mound. If he has finally fixed his mechanical issues due to that hip, he could regain at least some of his former elite, cy young form. At the price he will likely be signed for, getting a potential elite pitcher is too good of an opportunity for the Padres to pass up.
It still remains to be seen what happens with Lincecum, but the Padres are smart in their big interest. Lincecum’s showcase has once again been delayed to around March 1st, but that should not scare the Padres away. Acquiring a former cy young pitcher is always a good proposition, and the Padres should be patiently anticipating that showcase in a few weeks. If all goes well, Tim Lincecum may be a San Diego Padre come opening day.
Editorial and Prospect Writer for East Village Times. Twenty-five years young, Patrick has lived in San Diego for his entire life and has been a Padres fan nearly as long. Patrick lives for baseball and is always looking to learn new things about the game he loves through advanced stats.