Tim Lincecum

To listen to the roar of criticism that followed Tim Lincecum's two-year, $35 million contract extension with the San Francisco Giants, you’d think Brian Sabean had decided to re-sign Aaron Rowand, Barry Zito and Alex Rodriguez in the same stroke.

The San Francisco Giants have overpaid once again. This time, Tim Lincecum is the benefactor of the Giants' generosity.

Once considered to be the best starting pitcher in all of Major League Baseball, the past two seasons haven't been kind to Tim Lincecum.

But that didn't stop the San Francisco Giants from signing "The Freak" to a two-year contract extension: 

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman provides some further details about the contract:

There are several teams on the cusp of falling out of playoff contention, which is always fun as it opens up the potential for even more trade rumors.

Seven teams—the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox—are currently more than 10 games back of a playoff spot, a very tough spot from which to bounce back. More could join them soon in the land of non-contenders. 

The baseball gods can be cruel, but they’ve got nothing on Father Time.

That crotchety old you-know-what rarely allows for ballplayers to age like fine wines, and he’s particularly unfair to pitchers. One day a pitcher will be fine and the next—BAM!—he’ll be over the hill. No more velocity, no more stuff, no more guile, no more nothing.

The San Francisco Giants pitching staff is officially being put on notice—step up your game.

Pablo Sandoval has gone on the disabled list, reports Mercury News, meaning there's a hole in the middle of the lineup.

Most teams are paying their big-name starting pitchers a fortune to provide 200 innings this season. But for a few of those pitchers, their performance is crippling teams that hope to contend, and that brings their job security into question.

Some of these pitchers have long track records that afford them a longer leash. They may not lose their jobs based on a bad first month, but if the struggles continue into June, teams may begin looking for alternatives.

Tim Lincecum has looked like a different pitcher over his last two starts with Buster Posey behind the plate in place of Hector Sanchez. 

Over his first three starts with Sanchez catching, Lincecum struggled. He allowed 13 hits, 12 runs, 12 walks and three home runs in 16 innings of work. His ERA was 5.63.

In recent weeks, several teams have locked up franchise icons, including the Giants' Buster Posey, the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright and the Tigers' Justin Verlander. Without these key players hitting free agency in coming years, teams will have to work with what remains. 

A few players stand to gain tremendously from these signings, but will need to put up good numbers this season if they want to cash in on long-term deals this offseason. Here are my top five free agents in need of a strong 2013 campaign.

2012 was an abysmal year for San Francisco Giants' starting pitcher Tim Lincecum.

The former Giants' first-round draft selection in 2006 exploded onto the scene in his first full season with San Francisco in 2008 and became a national sensation nearly overnight.