Editor's Note: The above video is from Feb. 25, 2016.
NEW YORK -- The Giants have been letting Tim Lincecum throw at their Scottsdale facility in recent weeks but team officials say they haven't watched, letting Lincecum work through the process in peace. This week, the Giants will finally get a look at a healthy and possibly improved version of No. 55.
Lincecum's long-awaited showcase will take place Friday in Scottsdale, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The Giants have said all along that regardless of timing or how their roster looks, they will attend and watch their longtime star throw. There is interest from the other side in a reunion. When Lincecum visited Scottsdale Stadium in February to see former teammates, he told one person he met with that San Francisco remains his preferred location.
The Giants have insisted all along that the fit might not be right because they view Lincecum as a reliever, but April may have changed that thinking a bit. Matt Cain and Jake Peavy have allowed 43 runs in 50 innings this season, but manager Bruce Bochy said he's nowhere close to making a change.
"I don’t think there’s an option that’s going to make the staff better," he said on Saturday.
Lincecum might not be that guy, either, but he would at least represent a better fit than prospects who aren't knocking the door down in the upper levels of the minors. Lincecum had a 4.13 ERA last season, his ninth with the Giants, but reports out of Arizona have been good. Giants who have spoken to Lincecum in recent weeks say he's very encouraged by where his stuff is after a long rehab from September hip surgery. Per Heyman, Lincecum was throwing 90-91 mph in a bullpen session earlier this week, and Yahoo's Jeff Passan tweeted that word out of Scottsdale is that Lincecum's stuff has "been quite good."
Lincecum plans on coming back as a starter, but if that changes -- and the Giants stick with Cain and Peavy -- he still could find a fit with his old team. The Giants don't have a true long reliever on the roster and their bullpen has been a weakness through the season's first month.
If Lincecum looks as good as he hopes, there could be plenty of interest for his services. Teams are always looking for pitching, and Heyman wrote that up to 20 teams could be at the showcase.
