Former two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum is attempting yet another Major League comeback, as he recently held a showcase that many teams attended.
Among those that were on hand were the Los Angeles Dodgers, who may be in the market to add a pitcher as their depth took a bit of a hit this offseason with the losses of Yu Darvish, Brandon McCarthy, Scott Kazmir, Brandon Morrow and Tony Watson.
According to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, Lincecum is nearing a decision on who to sign with and the Dodgers are one of the favorites as they may be one of the few teams willing to give him a Major League deal:
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.
Lincecum last pitched in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, struggling to the tune of a 2-6 record with a 9.16 ERA, 7.16 FIP and 2.37 WHIP in nine starts. He struck out 32 and walked 23 in 38.1 innings of work.
Lincecum was a four-time All-Star with the San Francisco Giants, and the Dodgers have had success in recent seasons with reclamation projects of sorts. Something else that could be appealing to them is that Lincecum has a history both starting and pitching out of the bullpen.
So much like Tom Koehler, signing Lincecum would give the Dodgers the option to utilize him in either role, further strengthening the team’s versatility.
