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Tigers Looking At Tim Lincecum -- Is 'The Freak' A Fit?

By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid

For a team with very little to lose, it's a "why not?" move.

Tim Lincecum is attempting a comeback. He held a showcase on Thursday and the Tigers were there. The 33-year-old reportedly touched 93 mph on the radar gun.

Word is, he'll get a job. Should the Tigers be the club to give it to him?

General manager Al Avila wants to add pitching depth, preferably on the cheap. Lincecum will likely get a minor league contract if he's signed. Washed-up or not, he fits a need.

"We're still looking at the pitching market and we still might add maybe one," Avila said on Thursday, via MLB.com. "I don't know if we're going to be able to add two, but we're looking to hopefully add one."

As things stand today, the Tigers' rotation will be comprised of Michael Fulmer, Jordan Zimmermann, Daniel Norris, Matthew Boyd and Mike Fiers. Lincecum could provide an insurance arm for that group -- Zimmermann and Norris are both injury liabilities -- or he could work out of a bullpen that a) doesn't have many defined roles and b) is likely to get lots of work.

Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young winner with the Giants, hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2016. That was his first attempt at a comeback after falling off in San Francisco and undergoing reconstructive hip surgery. It didn't go well. Lincecum recorded a 9.16 ERA over nine starts with the Angels before being designated for assignment.

His biggest issue was his velocity, with his fastball averaging 88.4 mph. That was also the cause of his downfall with the Giants. At his peak, Lincecum lived in the 93-94 mph range. He won't ever recover that, but at his workout on Thursday he was steadily hitting 90-92 mph, according to reports.

About 20 scouts were on hand, representing approximately 15 teams, according to MLB.com. The Tigers were among them. Lincecum has been working out hard this offseason and apparently showed the fruits of his labor.

"He was probably a little better than I expected him to be," one scout told MLB.com. "The first ball he threw, he threw it as hard as he could. Every single pitch was at max effort. You could imagine with the adrenaline of a real game, his velocity might be even higher."

The scout added that Lincecum looked "ripped" throwing in a tank top. A photo of him that surfaced in December revealed the same thing.

Lincecum reportedly did not meet with any teams before or after his workout on Thursday, but it would behoove the Tigers to give him a call. They need another arm or two, and Lincecum can provide one at a small cost and with decent upside.

His failed comeback in 2016 may well have been a product of returning from surgery too soon. Now that he's fully healthy and regaining some velocity, a modest revival might be in the cards. Even if it isn't, the Tigers have nothing to lose.

At worst, the experiment fails and the Tigers move on, no worse for the wear. At best, Lincecum rediscovers some of his former self, adds a fun storyline to what's sure to be a drab season, drums up interest at the trade deadline and turns into an asset for Avila.

Why not?

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