I have to say, I disagree with you here on the team Lincecum path. I would love it if you are correct, but I think the Giants aren’t following that path.

The Giants would love to lock him up long term, but are being, as Scott Boras so eloquently put it, “thrifty” with their money. It’s the Bill Neukom way. Peter Mcgowan loved his star players but Neukom is much more business oriented. The Giants may end up reaching an agreement with Lincecum before the hearing, but it’ll be very close to 13 mil if it’s reached.

As for Team Lincecum, you are correct about the dangers but he has shown zero signs of wear & tear. MLBtraderumors linked a fangraphs stat related to his fastball dropping 1.5 mph lst season but it was well documented during the season that he was working with less Velocity for better control. The fact is, he is in uncharted water and has a duty to the MLBPA to push for the most he can gain financially. What Lincecum gains through Arb this offseason has ramifications on every single pitcher from here on out… every single year. He still has 3 more Arb years to sign a long term deal and with even a good season in 2010, he should be in line for a 15 mil payday. Why would he settle for anything less than a record salary for a second year player when he’s clearly the best pitcher in baseball regardless of tenure. It’s highly unlikely that he has an injury in 2010 that by the time the next arb hearing rolls around, enough of his long term status would be determined to significantly alter his ability to sign a deal that takes him through his arb years, which is really all he should want.

Lincecum will be free agent eligible for the 2013 class… the year after Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, & Zach Grienke…and Lincecum would still only be 29. They will set records if thry hit the market and he will break them if he does.

If you were Tim Lincecum, would you really settle for anything in 2010? I wouldn’t, and unless the Giants have a shift in philosophy related to him, they will lose him someday… sooner than anyone wants.

For the record, I want him in a Giants uni until the day he retires, regarless of the cost

It all depends if you’re team Lincecum or the Giants. It would be smart for Lincecum to sign a multi-year deal. You never know if you will break down. It’s smart for the Giants to try to hold off a year or two since he’s not leaving any time soon. He’s under the teams control for four seasons.

~King of Cali