Short-Term Deal with Lincecum is Bad News for Giants in Long Run: Fan’s Take

Finally, the San Francisco Giants got something done with Tim Lincecum even though it is only a temporary solution to the problem of keeping him long-term. He is now signed through his final two years of arbitration eligibility before free agency. That amounts to a deal in which The Freak will receive $18 million in 2012 and $22 million in 2013. Of course, you might be wondering where the missing $500,000 comes from this $40.5 million deal: signing bonus. Everyone but Lincecum could wind up regretting this contract though.

No, the financial obligations are not that much for a player of his caliber. A two-time Cy Young winner definitely deserves to make a good chunk of change each season. I would consider this deal to be more than fair for Lincecum, especially since he is not even a free agent yet. However, that is the very reason that this could end up hurting the Giants in the very near future. With this two-year contract, the team has made one noticeable misstep.

The San Francisco Giants have set the bar exceptionally high for any future deal with The Franchise. Obviously, the organization would have preferred to sign him to a multi-year deal, but the two sides could not agree upon money or years. According to reports, the two parties were nowhere near an agreement throughout the offseason either. That comes after the team reportedly offered a four-year, $80 million deal and a five-year, $100 million offer. Sure, both of those figures show that the club wants to low-ball Lincecum rather than overpay him.

Still, this two-year pact does not bode well for the Giants. It is looking highly unlikely that the team will be able to sign him in the long-term. Team options and performance bonuses are not going to fly for Lincecum at this point in his career. Undoubtedly, he wants guaranteed years along with guaranteed money - a lot of both. With that in mind, the team has shown that he is virtually guaranteed to earn $20 million per season at the least by giving him this deal. It would have been better to put the deal to around $35 or $36 million.

Without a doubt, The Freak wants to be paid like the best pitcher in the National League (or the American League). That means he will be going to the highest bidder when he hits free agency. I can guarantee that San Francisco will not be able to outbid every other team. Currently, it appears as though nearly every organization could use an addition to their rotation. With that in mind, Lincecum will be hitting the market at the most opportune moment. There should be quite a few teams vying for his services for the next few seasons. Some team or another will definitely give him a mega-contract.

It will not be the San Francisco Giants though, which is not necessarily a bad thing. In all likelihood, the organization that winds up with him will be overpaying him to beat other bidders. Of course, the Giants have learned their lesson by now about paying too much for players (or have they?). Losing Lincecum could wind up being a positive outcome for the organization in the long run. Who knows? In any case, a long-term deal was probably more likely before this current two-year deal was made.

Let us just hope that the team does not lose out on Matt Cain either. That would be a disaster.

Errick D. Williams is a lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants who has attended over 200 games at AT&T Park. He lives in San Diego but regularly travels back up to the Bay Area to catch a game with friends and family members.

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