With the Giants sitting on a 2-0 lead over the Tigers in the World Series, now isn't the time to worry about Tim Lincecum's future. Now's the time to worry about beating Detroit.
But we can still ponder the Freak's future, right? That future will take place in San Francisco as the notion of Lincecum being traded is reportedly off the table.
That's according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, who says that while a move for Lincecum to the bullpen isn't totally out of the question, there's "no way" Lincecum will be dealt.
"No way he'll be traded. Do you see how the fans respond to him?'' one person connected to the Giants told Heyman.
Heyman's bullpen discussion centers around the fact that Lincecum's got one year left on his deal, the Giants don't have a guarantee of a closer in 2013 and Timmy's success out of the bullpen this postseason.
Lincecum was moved to the 'pen during the postseason, pitched well against the Reds, got a start against the Cardinals, got shelled, returned to the bullpen and lit up the Tigers. It's quite the bizarre way for things to unfold.
"I'm doing better out of the bullpen," Lincecum said this week. "I'm just going to ride that. I'm not going in there thinking. I'm just airing it out ... I can eliminate further thoughts that can creep in there. I'm just thinking about outs."
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Of course, Heyman also writes that the Giants' plan is for Lincecum to get back in the rotation in 2013 and that folks within the Giants believe Lincecum can make some adjustments this offseason and return to being a viable starter for San Francisco.
The best guess here is that Lincecum's a lock for the rotation. He's clearly got plenty left in the tank, as witnessed by his performance out of the bullpen. He can fix whatever's wrong with his mechanics or head over the offseason. The dude has two Cy Youngs and has fought off a lifetime worth of doubts; he can certainly shake off a bad 2012.
But it's definitely not something the Giants will worry about until the end of their title chase.
