Tim Lincecum reportedly will be available in trade

Tim Lincecum posted the worst season of his career, and the San Francisco Giants reportedly will look to trade him this offseason.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote a column on Sunday containing several baseball notes. Some were based on quotes from baseball personnel, and others seemed to be based on informed speculation. Here’s what he wrote about Lincecum:

He will be available in trade, and it will be interesting to see who bites on the two-time Cy Young winner. The Giants insist his problems this season were strictly mechanical, but opposing teams wonder why his usual 96-mile-per-hour fastball was around 92 most of the season, and why his first-inning problems (28 runs) were the worst in baseball.

It’s no surprise that the Giants would look to deal him. Lincecum won two Cy Young Awards and a World Series with the Giants, but he was sub-par this season and nearly lost his spot in the rotation. His gradual drop in velocity is alarming. He can still be an effective pitcher, but if he doesn’t regain his fastball speed, why would we think he could regain his Cy Young form?

Lincecum hurt himself financially by declining long-term contract extension talks. The Giants are probably thankful he only took a two-year deal in January. We imagine there will be teams interested in acquiring him as long as the Giants kick in some money or players in a potential trade.

H/T Hardball Talk
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