New York Yankees Rumors: Tim Lincecum Is On The Yankees’ Radar

Rumors pertaining to the next free agent signing for the New York Yankees are running rampant, and the latest big name attached to the club is former San Francisco Giants ace pitcher Tim Lincecum. While Lincecum has had declining numbers over the past few seasons, he is still only 31 years old. Injuries have derailed the career of the former Cy Young winner, but his 2015 season was his best since 2011. Since posting a career worst ERA of 5.18 in 2012, Lincecum finished 2015 with a respectable ERA of 4.13 and a WAR rating of 0.3, his first positive figure since 2011.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Yankees are desperately looking for pitching. Former Philadelphia Phillies ace Cliff Lee is a possibility, but he has his own question marks and is much older than Lincecum. With CC Sabathia still under contract and only continuing to decline, the Yankees have a lot of money tied up in a pitcher that is not producing anywhere near what his contract calls for. Masahiro Tanaka should be solid once again, but he also has injury concerns and cannot be counted on to put up ace numbers.

In Lincecum, the Yankees could get a veteran pitcher with a ton of playoff experience. While he is no longer a top of the rotation starter, his value could be as a solid No. 3. He could also be trusted to deliver reliable innings out of the bullpen.

According to SFGate, Lincecum is the healthiest that he has been in years. Rick Thurman of the Beverly Hills Sports Council spoke about his progress and why he can still be a valuable asset.

“He’s throwing every day and says he’s doing great. He’s got no instability in his hip, and he’s enthusiastic about his progress. There was never anything wrong with his arm.”

Physical therapist Brad Schoenthaler also spoke about Lincecum’s current condition and his odds of succeeding in the majors this season.

“Tim’s doing great. He looks really strong. His hip pain and compensation patterns have cleared up. Everything’s coming back a lot quicker than we expected. I feel he’ll walk into spring training stronger or as strong as he normally walks into spring training. I think he’ll be plenty strong to be a starter.”

Since Thurman and Schoenthaler are close to Lincecum, their reports should still be taken with a grain of salt. Teams have been burned too many times after hearing that an injury-prone player is looking healthy again in the offseason only to find out they wasted a ton of money on a guy that is done.

According to NJ Advance Media, Lincecum is planning on holding a workout in February to showcase his current condition, and the Yankees will be in attendance. Since 30 teams are reportedly interested in Lincecum and 20 have requested his medical records, it could just be the Yankees doing their due diligence.

If Lincecum turns out to be healthy during his workout, a lot of teams could be bidding for his services. While he is not going to get a contract worth $150 million, he could net a deal over two or three years. For a pitcher that is still young and apparently healthy, this could be a high reward situation for the New York Yankees without a ton of risk.

While the Giants’ management might be done with Lincecum, their fans apparently are not. Myspace co-founder Tom Anderson is offering to pick up the tab if the Giants re-sign Lincecum.

Can we keep @timLincecum if I pay for it? #6manrotation ! @sfgiants @knbr @extrabaggs @mccoveychron pic.twitter.com/tQG2jmG0Mt

— Tom Anderson (@myspacetom) January 26, 2016

Until Lincecum pitches in front of the New York Yankees in a few weeks, rumors will continue to swirl regarding which pitchers they will add. While Cliff Lee is still a possibility, Tim Lincecum has a real shot at being a member of the Yankees if he looks anything like his old self.

[Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images]