The San Francisco Giants announced Tim Lincecum will miss the remainder of the 2015 season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left hip, but the team hasn't ruled out re-signing the impending free agent as his contract gets set to expire.
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Bruce Bochy Says Lincecum Could Return
Thursday, Sept. 3
According to the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters "my door will always be open for Tim Lincecum" while noting it will be a "baseball decision" if the team decides to re-sign the 31-year-old.
"He wants to pitch," Bochy said, per Shea. "He still has fire in his belly."
Lincecum is in the final year of a two-year, $35 million deal that's paying the two-time NL Cy Young winner $18 million this season, per Spotrac.
However, he hasn't resembled a dominant ace for quite some time.
After finishing last year 12-9 with a 4.74 ERA, Lincecum made just 15 starts this season as injuries took a toll on his effectiveness. Over the course of those appearances, Lincecum posted a 4.13 ERA while notching a career-worst 1.48 WHIP.
"Lincecum's velocity has continued to decline, and he was even briefly sent to the bullpen during the 2014 season," Yahoo Sports' Chris Cwik wrote. "Over the past four seasons, Lincecum has a 4.68 ERA through 615.2 innings. He struck out 577 batters during that period."
Although Lincecum no longer mows down batters with staggering stuff and elite efficiency, he can still be effective in spots—as his 2.83 ERA in May suggested.
But in order for the Giants to consider a reunion with the former stud, Lincecum may need to be amenable to a pay cut.
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