I already covered why that is not the case. Do you read my posts? ALso, you don't get to field offers from other teams while you have the QO on the table. You need to decline it first.
You're showing your lack of understanding. Such a surprise considering the warm welcome you gave me.
Did you even bother to click that link I posted which had all of the 42 Free Agents Starters listed by their 2013 performance?
Lincecum is in the middle of the back if I'm being generous.
A player can only be negotiated with after the World Series. A team has 5 days after the WS to make a qualified offer. A player has 7 days to respond accept or decline the offer once it is made.
Teams can sign free agents 6 days after the World Series.
I don't know how good your math is, but I think that 6 days is longer than 5 days.
Explaining Qualifying Offers: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com
MLB Important Dates | MLB.com: Schedule
And yeah, sure a team can make him an offer during the 6 days a player has left to accept/decline, but I don't see why that matters. He'd still need to decline the QO in order to sign with the other club, so therefore that would be factored into the other teams decision making process.
I'm not sure what that point has to do with my point. My point is that Timmy won't have leverage in Free Agency, qualifying offer or not. He's not that good compared to other options. He's going to be 30, so he's not exactly old, but he's been mediocre-terrible during the last two seasons as a starter.
His value is as a multiple-innings relief pitcher/swingman, and he's not such an elite relief pitcher as to warrant a contract greater than ~14MM per year.
Let me dumb all of that down for you:
- Tim Lincecum will not much leverage in Free Agency, with or without attachment to a Qualifying Offer
- No team will sign Lincecum if he will cost a first round pick, so the Giants will not receive a player
- If the Giants make him a Qualifying Offer, I think he would accept it based on his history and aforementioned lack of leverage. So that makes two reasons why the Qualifying Offer versus Trade wouldn't work out
- Therefore, it is in the Giants' best interest to trade him now and receive one or two prospects from a contender.
Furthermore, I find that the Dodgers are looking for a reliever rental, and I think that Lincecum could fit that role nicely. He could also start a few games if needed. Having the option of using him to start or pitch out of the bullpen knocks two birds out with one stone for the Dodgers, and the Giants would save about 10 million bucks while gaining two guys who might be able to help out the Giants in the future.
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Also, I know that teams rarely trade in the division. I know that this trade has about 0.01% probability of going through (or being considered by the big clubs, for that matter). I just think that it would benefit both teams and that it's a fun scenario to think about.
