The Padres Need to Sign Tim Lincecum

“Big Time Timmy Jim” Tim Lincecum is still on the market. He is currently working in a “secret” location according to Jon Heyman…

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The Padres are one of many teams at least moderately interested in his services. This needs to happen. Tim Lincecum needs to be a Padre and here is why.

• Tim Lincecum has pitched for the rival Giants for all of his 9 seasons in the league. He is a four-time All-Star including two straight Cy Young Awards in 2008 and 2009. He has pitched 18 games at Petco Park, the most appearances in any park but his former home AT&T Park.
• In those 18 games, he is 9-3 with a 2.41 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 116 innings. Not to mention he has two career no-hitters and both have come against the Padres, one being at Petco Park. He has even been quoted as saying he feels very comfortable pitching in San Diego.

Why not make him a permanent resident?

There are some that don’t want to sacrifice the money that could go towards the international draft or signings. Honestly, I would much rather sign Lincecum to a small deal with incentives than spend money on some unknown prospects that we won’t see until 2056.

There are rumors that Lincecum is healthy and looking improved from last season. He is eager to put 2015 behind him, as he went 7-4 with a 4.13 ERA in 15 starts. He also had a WHIP near 1.5. In 2014, it was even worse as his ERA bloated to 4.74 and he led the league with 15 wild pitches.

Needless to say he needed to take a step back, get healthy and perhaps work on his mechanics. He has not pitched in a major league game since June 27th, 2015. With 8 months to get right and only being 31, Lincecum should have a lot more in the tank. Not to mention he has experience, having pitched in 3 different World Series and earning rings in all three. He has a 2.40 career ERA in 13 playoff appearances.

He should come at a decent price given his down years. The Padres could use some depth in the rotation. He could be the fourth or fifth starter, which consequently would make the bullpen deeper. That is one of the keys to success in the big leagues.

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The more I think about this, the more I say…why not?

Lincecum is reportedly doing a showcase towards the end of the month. It should be only a matter of a couple of weeks before we find out the fate of Tim Lincecum.