Tim Lincecum Trade Talk: Every Team's Odds of Landing Him If He Won't Extend
With Jon Morosi being the latest sports writer to stir the Tim Lincecum trade talks pot, what are every team's odds of landing the San Francisco Giants' ace if the two sides fail to agree to an extension?
Most Giants fans would not want to see Tim Lincecum go. He is the face of the franchise, a huge marketing ploy and one of the main reasons why the Giants won the World Series Championship in 2010.
He's had four masterful seasons in MLB, two of which resulted in Cy Young awards, and he's still only 27 years old.
But take a step back and think about it. Lincecum has already come out and publicly said that he doesn't want to a long-term contract.
"It’s just easier for me mentally not to have to put that kind of pressure on yourself. Not that you don’t want to succeed, but when you’re signed to a long-term deal, it’s like saying, 'I’m going to live up to every expectation.’ That’s why I like going year to year, so I can improve on it and not sit on what I’ve done.
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On top of that, the Giants face other obstacles if they decide to sign Lincecum to a long-term contract. Tying up another $20 million per year for Lincecum's contract will impede the Giants from spending money in order to obtain impact hitters in the free agent market. Plus, who knows if the Giants will be able to retain all of their starting pitchers in the long-term.
Matt Cain is only a year away from free agency and he'll certainly be seeking a pricey contract that could reach into the $15 million a year range.
So whether Giants' general manager Brain Sabean decides to bite the bullet and deal his young ace, here's a list of each team's odds of lading Lincecum.
Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 29It is unlikely that the Giants will be willing to trade Lincecum within the division, especially to the team that won the NL West. Plus, who knows if the Diamondbacks will even be willing to part with the prospects in order to attain Lincecum.
Their rotation's future is looking bright with Ian Kennedy emerging as a legitimate ace, and Josh Collmenter showed promise during his rookie season with the club. '
Don't forget about the Diamondbacks' first-round pick last year, Trevor Bauer, who has already been compared to Lincecum himself.
Odds: 500/1
Atlanta Braves
2 of 29The Braves are another club who won't be serious contenders for Lincecum. They are already in the process of trying to ship out Jair Jurrjens in order to bolster their offense, so trading for Lincecum wouldn't make much sense.
Odds: 70/1
Baltimore Orioles
3 of 29When was the last time that Orioles owner Peter Angelos made an intelligent move to improve his roster?
They certainly have the prospects to pry him from the Giants, but the future of this team is already built around its young rotation that is on the verge of making a name for itself.
Odds: 40/1
Boston Red Sox
4 of 29Any time a big trade or free agent target emerges, the Red Sox are automatically serious contenders to land that player. It should be no different this time around, especially since that target is Lincecum.
They recently spent big bucks last offseason bringing in Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, so maybe it's time to add a pitcher to team him up with Jon Lester and Josh Beckett.
Odds: 12/1
Chicago White Sox
5 of 29The White Sox would love to have Lincecum. Who wouldn't, for that matter?
However, they probably won't have enough prospects in order to entice the Giants, offensive prospects specifically.
Chris Sale is probably the best White Sox prospect, but another pitcher isn't what the Giants would be looking for in return.
Odds: 70/1
Chicago Cubs
6 of 29With a new coach and a new general manager looking to make a statement to the Cubs' fan base that they intend on fielding a winning team, what a better way to do that than trading for Lincecum?
And the Cubs need pitching just as much as they need to make a statement. The Giants would undoubtedly jump at the offer of Starlin Castro, but it's unlikely that the Cubs will be willing to part with their future star at shortstop.
Odds: 25/1
Cincinnati Reds
7 of 29The Reds have plenty of hitting, and that's what the Giants will be looking for if they decide to deal Lincecum. Drew Stubbs or Jay Bruce would be appealing candidates, but who knows if the Reds are looking to move either of their outfielders.
Other than that, the Reds have a fairly deep farm system, but it might not be enough to pry Lincecum away from the Giants.
Odds: 30/1
Cleveland Indians
8 of 29With Ubaldo Jimenez, Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin already topping out the Indians' rotation, they need to address the offense if they have any hopes of winning in the AL Central.
Additionally, the Indians already made a splash in trading for Jimenez during last year's trade deadline, so it's unlikely that they'll have the necessary trade pieces in order to acquire Lincecum.
Odds: 40/1
Colorado Rockies
9 of 29The Rockies would be crazy not to make an attempt at acquiring Lincecum, but it won't matter in the end.
The Rockies would have the necessary prospects in order to acquire him, mostly due in part to the Jimenez trade, but there is no chance the Giants would deal Lincecum within their own division.
Odds: 200/1
Detroit Tigers
10 of 29Could you imagine a rotation with Lincecum and Justin Verlander? The Tigers would have arguably two of best pitchers in MLB and would be a force to reckon with in a seven games series in the playoffs.
There's no reason to believe the Tigers wouldn't go after Lincecum, but there is also no reason to think they will.
Odds: 25/1
Miami Marlins
11 of 29The Miami Marlins are my dark horse team to trade for Lincecum.
After offering contracts to Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle, it's no secret that they are trying to turn the franchise around in a hurry.
It's also unlikely that all of those players will accept those contract offers, if any at all. So what better way to open the New Marlins Ballpark with Tim Lincecum toeing the rubber?
Odds: 15/1
Houston Astros
12 of 29The Houston Astros are amidst a major house cleaning, so it wouldn't make much sense to trade away all of their prospects for a pitcher who will win fewer games than he did with the Giants' lineup scoring runs for him.
And if that doesn't make sense, it would be a miracle if Lincecum won over 10 games in an Astros uniform.
Odds: 90/1
Kansas City Royals
13 of 29The Kansas City Royals have already gotten their hands on Jonathan Sanchez, one of the young starting pitchers from the Giants' rotation. And if they decide they want to pry Lincecum from the Giants as well, they certainly have the bats in order to do so.
Eric Hosmer or Alex Gordon would both be suitable major league-ready trade chips in order to acquire Lincecum. Additionally, the Royals also have the deepest farm system in baseball.
The Giants would love to trade him to the AL Central, where they'll likely never have to face him in the future.
Odds: 11/1
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
14 of 29With Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana already in the Angels' rotation, acquiring Lincecum would instantly make them one of the favorites to win the AL West and possibly a World Series Championship.
Mike Trout would be an interesting trade chip, but the Angles would likely want to hold onto him since they are in the process of bolstering their offense.
Plus, taking on another $20 million would push them towards one of the highest payrolls in MLB, and they can thank Vernon Wells for that.
Odds: 35/1
Los Angeles Dodgers
15 of 29I'm sorry, but there is no chance the Giants will trade Lincecum to the Dodgers. Unless they include Matt Kemp or Clayton Kershaw in a potential deal, there is no chance that Lincecum will be seen in the Dodger blue.
Odds: 500/1
Milwaukee Brewers
16 of 29If it were last year and the Brewers hadn't traded for Zack Greinke yet, a potential Lincecum trade to Milwaukee would certainly be in the realm of possibility.
However, with the likely departure of Prince Fielder and a rotation already set with Greinke, Yovani Gallardo and Shaun Marcum, the Brewers will spend their resources trying to fill the huge hole they will have at first base, no pun intended.
Odds: 60/1
Minnesota Twins
17 of 29The Minnesota Twins farm system is deep, but I don't see the organization going into desperation mode and trading away their entire farm system for one starting pitcher.
Odds: 50/1
New York Mets
18 of 29The last time the Mets and the Giants settled on a trade, it didn't turn out to well for San Francisco.
While it's still up in the air on whether Carlos Beltran will return to the Giants, they missed the postseason in 2011 which was the whole point of the trade from the Giants perspective.
The Mets are still on the hook for paying the remaining $50 million of Johan Santana's contract, so will they be able to take on another $20 million a year contract in the rotation? If Jose Reyes decides to return, count Lincecum out.
Odds: 25/1
New York Yankees
19 of 29The Yankees are everyone's favorite team to land Lincecum barring a potential trade, and rightly so.
They have the prospect in catcher phenom Jesus Montero, but the question will be if the Yankees are willing to part with their top prospect.
They have a history of tending to hold onto them, but I guarantee you that if Lincecum becomes available, the Yankees will be the first team on the phone with Brian Sabean.
Odds: 5/1
Oakland Athletics
20 of 29Tim Lincecum is exactly what the A's don't need at the moment. They already have a rotation containing Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill, and an offense that ranked near the bottom in every offensive category.
They wouldn't even be able to afford the type of contract that Lincecum will want, and that's barring if the Giants even decide to deal him to the team that's trying to take some of their territory in a potential move to San Jose.
Odds: 120/1
Philadelphia Phillies
21 of 29Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Tim Lincecum.
Wow.
There is little chance that the Phillies and Giants will work out a deal for Lincecum. But if they somehow managed to pry him from the Giants, they better win the World Series with that pitching rotation.
Odds: 95/1
Pittsburgh Pirates
22 of 29The Pirates are a team with a lot of holes, but if anything, they need to address the offense. They will also lack the necessary resources at both the major- and minor-league level to bring Lincecum to Pittsburgh.
Odds: 150/1
San Diego Padres
23 of 29Could you imagine what Lincecum's ERA would be while pitching in Petco Park?
AT&T Park is already regarded as a pitcher's park, but Petco is the definition of just that.
However, with the lack of necessary prospects and the fact that they are in the same division as the Giants, it's extremely unlikely that Lincecum will be in San Diego next year.
Odds: 400/1
Seattle Mariners
24 of 29Tim Lincecum was born and raised in Seattle and even attended the University of Washington, where he pitched for four years. He would love to end up with the Mariners' organization one day, but that will likely have to be put on hold.
The Mariners already have Felix Hernandez and Michael Pineda, two very young and talented pitchers, but they also had an offense that ranked dead last in every major offensive category in 2011.
Odds: 30/1
St. Louis Cardinals
25 of 29The Cardinals would be an interesting candidate to land Lincecum, but who knows if they'll actually need him with Adam Wainwright returning to the rotation?
With Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Jamie Garcia already topping out the rotation, potentially adding Lincecum would give them the league's best rotation bar none.
However, if Albert Pujols decides to leave St. Louis, expect the Cardinals to spend that money on trying to replace his absence in the lineup.
Odds: 50/1
Tampa Bay Rays
26 of 29The Rays would have the prospects to acquire Lincecum, but with David Price, Jeremy Hellickson and James Shields already in the rotation, starting pitching isn't exactly what the Rays need right now.
Odds: 40/1
Texas Rangers
27 of 29With the potential departure of C.J. Wilson, the Rangers will be on the hunt for a pitcher to take the place of the staff's ace. Who better than Lincecum, the pitcher who pitched eight strong innings against them in the clinching game of 2010 World Series?
What makes this an even more intriguing option is that the Rangers have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball. Don't be surprised to see this deal go down if Lincecum is in fact traded.
Odds: 13/1
Toronto Blue Jays
28 of 29The Blue Jays were the last team in serious trade talks with the Giants involving Tim Lincecum. After his rookie season in 2007, the Giants and Blue Jays discussed a potential Lincecum-for-Alex Rios swap that would've likely led to riots in San Francisco. Thankfully for Giants fans, that trade never went down.
However, could it happen five years later? The Blue Jays have the prospects to do it and they need to make a move like this if they want to contend with the Yankees and the Red Sox.
Odds: 18/1
Washington Nationals
29 of 29The Washington Nationals have made it clear that they are willing to spend money in order to win. They signed Jayson Werth to a monster deal, and Ryan Zimmerman is still under contract for a couple more seasons.
Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg are close to making it to the big leagues, so the Nationals might believe they are only a few more years away from becoming serious contenders.
If they want to speed up the process, adding Lincecum to a thin rotation surely makes sense.
Odds: 30/1

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