Let me be
the first to say that I am glad the Giants gave Matt Cain a new contract. He
has been a great pitcher for the Giants organization and was instrumental in
the Giants winning its first World Series in San Francisco. I still have not forgotten the fact that he
didn’t give up a postseason run during the Giants run to a World Series victory
in 2010. Losing him would have been hard for us Giant fans.
Having said that, I talked previously
about the consequences Cain’s contract would have on negotiations for a new
contract for Tim Lincecum. As you probably already know Lincecum is under
contract through the 2013 season. After that he can leave the team as a free
agent. Cain’s contract is certain to determine how much Lincecum is going to
demand from the Giants. With the contract that was just signed by Cain, I am
concerned about the value of it. Cain will be getting paid 20 million dollars
annually during the length of the contract. At 112.5 million dollars, the
contract is a record setting contract for a right handed pitcher. That is a lot
of money to be giving to a pitcher who is not even the ace of your team and has
never won a Cy Young award. The Giants have now set the bar so high for the
value of a pitcher that Lincecum is probably going to demand between 25 to 30
million dollars a year and rightfully so. That is a lot of money that the
Giants would end up paying for just two pitchers if the team gives Lincecum
what he wants. So unless the Giants plan on raising their payroll, they will
have a hard time signing new free agents and resigning their own players.
Luckily, the Giants will have Aaron Rowand’s 12 million dollar contract off the
books after this season and Barry Zito’s contract will be finished after the
2013 season. Even though the Giants are now going to pay Cain 20 million
dollars a year, I still believe the team should put the same effort at keeping
Lincecum even if it means paying him 25 plus million dollars a year. Luckily,
Lincecum is still under contract for two more years and the Giants could worry
about his contract at a future date.
On the other hand, I am pleased with
the length of Cain’s contract. I previously said that the Giants should only
give Cain around five years on his deal. Five years is what Matt Cain was
signed for, although there is a team option for a sixth year. That is
reasonable for a pitcher like Cain and it means that Lincecum will probably ask
for a seven to eight year deal. That is better though than giving Cain a seven
year deal and then being forced to give Lincecum a ten year deal. Cain is only
27 years old so he will be 33 years old when the contract ends after the 2017
season. That means he will not be too old for a pitcher when the deal ends and
he should still be young enough where injuries will not break him down.
However, Cain is built like a pitcher who can have a long career so injuries
shouldn’t be a concern. Cain has been a very durable pitcher during his career
and I don’t see that changing. A strong pitching body is the one thing that
Cain has over Lincecum and maybe that is the leverage the Giants hope to use
against Lincecum in contract negotiations.
Overall, I am just happy that Cain
and Lincecum will be together for at least another two years. I am concerned
about the money being given to Cain, but the Giants are a wealthy team. They
should have no problem raising their payroll considering the team always has
sold out crowds at AT&T Park. It could have been worse. We could have lost
Cain to free agency after this season and that would have put more pressure on
the Giants to bring back Lincecum. Now the team can breathe easily until the
next offseason when the Giants will seek to give Lincecum a new contract. When
that time comes, the Giants must be smart and give Lincecum what he wants just
like they gave Cain what he wants.
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