Quick Bits

Tim Lincecum will likely be arbitration eligible after this season.  Cole Hamels set a record for a pitcher last year by signing a three-year deal for $20.5 million upon first becoming arbitration eligible.

Cole Hamels is a great young pitcher, but Tim Lincecum has been demonstrably better through their first three seasons.  My guess would be that Lincecum signs a three-year deal to take him up to his free agent year for around $25M.

If Lincecum’s arm remains healthy, and that’s always a big if for a pitcher, such a deal would be a bargain for the Giants.

In other Bay Area baseball news, Brett Wallace, the 13th pick in last year’s Draft and the player the A’s received from the Cardinals as the centerpiece in exchange for Matt Holliday, hit five homeruns in a four game span between August 16th and 19th at AAA Sacramento.  Wallace now has a .917 OPS in 108 ABs since becoming a River Cat, 148 points higher than his .769 OPS for the Memphis Redbirds.

I have to assume that the odds are now strong that Wallace will get a September call-up to the A’s; and, if he has a good Spring Training next year, he’ll start the 2010 season on the major league roster.  No matter what Matt Holliday does in his career going forward, this may be a deal that the A’s remember fondly for the next generation.