5 Reasons San Francisco Giants Can't Let Matt Cain Go to Free Agency

Matt Cain, starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, will be cashing in loads of money if he hits free agency. 

Cain has spent his whole big league career in San Francisco and the Giants cannot let Cain hit the open market after the 2012 season. The righty could be an ace for most teams, and don't let his wins and losses fool you. 

After the Giants' atrocious offense in 2011, the last thing they need to do is lose pitching. If the Giants cannot sign Cain before Opening Day, they will have plenty of competition is signing the big righty. If the Giants want to be contenders for years to come, they have to sign him as soon as possible. 

Durability

It's always hard to find durability in star pitchers, and that's exactly what the Giants have gotten out of Cain since his first full season as a Giant in 2006.

Since his first full season as a Giant in 2006, Cain has thrown at least 200 innings in five of his six seasons. The only season he didn't throw at least 200 innings was his first full season in 2006, when he threw 191 innings.

The Giants have already been hit by the injury bug for the 2012 season, with Ryan Vogelsong starting the season on the 15-day DL. Barry Zito has also been injured plenty of times since becoming a Giant. The last thing the Giants need is injuries from their starting rotation, and Cain has always been durable.

Standing at 6'3" and weighing 230 pounds, Cain has one of the best pitching bodies in baseball and is built to be durable for a long time.  

Age

Although Cain is the longest tenured Giant, he is still only 27 years old.

Cain's age makes him a very valuable free agent, and a very valuable Giant.

The trio of Tim Lincecum, Cain and Madison Bumgarner is one of the best in all of baseball. What makes them truly special and exciting for the Giants is their age. Cain and Lincecum are the veterans at 27, while Bumgarner is only 22 years old.

Cain's age makes him a huge target if he hits free agency. Signing Cain to a long-term deal would not force a team into paying him when he is in decline. The Giants need to keep the Lincecum, Cain and Bumgarner trio together for as long as possible.  

Farm System

If the Giants do lose Cain to free agency, they may have to turn to their farm system to help replace him. 

However, the Giants are not loaded with starting pitching in their farm system by any means. According to MLB.com's draft and prospect expert, Jonathan Mayo, five out of the Giants' top 20 prospects are starting pitchers. The list is headlined by lefty Eric Surkamp, followed Clayton Blackburn, Joan Gregorio, Kyle Crick and Josh Osian. 

Surkamp led all Double-A pitchers in ERA in 2011, and when he came up to the bigs he went 2-2 with a 5.74 ERA in 26.2 innings pitched. The lefty has a quality repertoire of pitches, but doesn't project to have the highest ceiling. 

San Francisco's farm system simply isn't loaded with talent in starting pitchers and losing Cain would cause an even bigger issue due to this dilemma. 

Postseason

Regular season statistics are great, but the postseason is what makes stars remembered forever. San Francisco Giants fans will never forget Matt Cain's performance in the 2010 postseason. 

Many players contributed to the Giants winning the World Series in 2010, and Cain may have been the biggest contributor. He toyed with the opponents, throwing 21.1 scoreless innings. This phenomenal feat led to the Giants winning their first World Series since 1954.

Cain proved to be a winner when it matters most, and that will be very appealing to teams if he becomes a free agent. If the Giants want to win another World Series soon, it's clear that Cain will play a major role in that accomplishment.  

Los Angeles Dodgers

The rivalry between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers is one of the most heated and historical rivalries in all of sports. 

The rivalry may have been recently revived in the selling of the Dodgers. A group headlined by former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson and former Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals president Stan Kasten recently purchased the Dodgers for $2 billion. 

The Dodgers have now become a possible fit for Cain, and the Giants front office has to be feeling the LA heat right now. Johnson will play a major role in signing free agents, and betting against Magic is never a good idea. 

The Giants fans and organization would be crushed if Cain pulled a Jason Schmidt and became a Dodger. The Giants have to sign him now if they don't want him being a future rival. 

The Dodgers won't be the only team going hard after Cain, and it may be hard for the Giants to compete with many of the large-market teams. The Giants must sign Cain now if they want him in orange and black next year and in the future.