San Francisco Giants: Tim Lincecum in No Hurry to Sign Contract Extension

Sep 4, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum (55) is taken out of the game during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Before the 2012 season, Tim Lincecum rejected a five-year, $100 million contract offer from the San Francisco Giants, signing a two-year, $40 million deal instead.

As a result of that, the two-time Cy Young Award winner will become a free agent this offseason in a market that is lacking in quality starting pitchers.

With Hunter Pence signing a five-year, $90 million deal to stay in San Francisco for the long term, the attention now shifts to Lincecum for the Giants. But given the weak market, Lincecum is in no hurry to sign a contract extension with the Giants.

“I feel like most decisions people make at this point are personal decisions,” Lincecum told Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area, when asked if Pence’s extension influences his decision. “I’ve still got time to think about this. It’s not a pressing thing for me, and I’ll make a decision when the time comes.”

Nobody knows what the market will bear for Lincecum, who had a 10-14 record with a 4.37 ERA this season, making it back-to-back down years for The Freak after dominating the league his first five seasons. Lincecum’s Cy Young Awards came in 2008 and 2009, and in 2010, he was the MVP of the World Series.

Even though those times seem like long ago for Lincecum, he will surely attract a lot of attention from other teams.