Washington Nationals To Attend Tim Lincecum’s Showcase Friday
By Ricky Keeler
Jon Heyman of MLB Network is reporting that the Washington Nationals will be one of the teams watching Tim Lincecum throw on Friday
So far this season, the Washington Nationals have been one of the best starting rotations in baseball. However, as the saying goes, you can never have enough starting pitching. One of the intriguing pitching free agents still out there is two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, Tim Lincecum.
Today, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that the Nats will be one of the teams who will be attending Tim Lincecum’s throwing showcase on Friday in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is the spring training site of the San Francisco Giants, Lincecum’s former team:
Lincecum showcase will be at his old home field, Scottsdale Stadium, Friday. Giants are interested, but no home-field edge.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 3, 2016
Lincecum aims for starting job. SFG thinking pen for now. SFG, dodgers, a's, bs. Chisox, nats, o's, marlins, more r coming
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 3, 2016
Last season, Lincecum was 7-4 with a 4.13 ERA in 15 starts before having to undergo hip surgery in September. Over the course of his nine years with the Giants, the 31-year-old right-hander (who will be 32 in June) is 108-83 with a 3.61 ERA and was a part of three World Series teams.
Heyman also reported last week that he was hitting 90-91 miles per hour on the radar gun with his fastball. But, if you look at his average fastball velocity since 2010 (according to Fangraphs), it has gone down from 92.3 in 2010 to 87.2 last season.
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So, how would Lincecum fit in with the Washington Nationals? For one, he would provide some much needed depth should there be an injury to the rotation. Even though top prospect Lucas Giolito is waiting at double-A, they don’t have much depth at the triple-A level. They signed Bronson Arroyo to a minor league deal this offseason, but Arroyo is currently out due to a shoulder injury. Today, manager Dusty Baker gave an update on Arroyo’s rehab:
Per Dusty, Bronson Arroyo, who has been in Fla. rehabbing his shoulder, is trying to drop down & throw with a three-quarters arm slot now.
— James Wagner (@ByJamesWagner) May 3, 2016
While Lincecum does have experience pitching out of the bullpen, the Nats currently have a good long man in another former Giant, Yusmeiro Petit. Plus, the team has some good young relievers in the minors as well. So far this season, the Syracuse Chiefs (triple-A) have the best ERA (2.69) of any International League team heading into tonight’s action.
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Even though it’s not a strong factor in deciding whether or not to sign Lincecum, he is 1-4 with a 6.40 ERA in six career starts against the Washington Nationals at Nats Park. While I would not be opposed to the Nats signing Lincecum, I think he is going to end up going back with the Giants. However, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Nats to add more pitching depth in case of an injury to one of their starters.