There's no question that pitching is the priority for the Giants this off-season, despite serious offensive woes in 2011.
Brian Sabean has said as much, and the logic there centers around the need to lock up Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain for a longer period of time.
According to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, the Giants are trying to do just that, and are going to "make an attempt to sign" Lincecum to "a multi-year deal" in the coming weeks/months.
The Giants are believed interested in a deal of at least four years -- which would include two free agent years -- and perhaps more," Heyman wrote Tuesday.
However, as Heyman also noted, Lincecum may not be interested in signing a truly "long-term" deal, as he's stated previously (and publicly) that he enjoys going year-to-year with his contracts.
Additionally, Lincecum is arbitration-eligible this off-season, and folks believe that he could get as much as $25 million for the 2012 season, and possibly more in 2013, when he's eligible for arbitration again.
Therefore, it's certainly in the best interests of the Giants to get him locked in a lower -- or at least reasonable -- price before
Also worth noting from Heyman's report is that the Giants are making Lincecum's deal a priority over signing Matt Cain, who will be a free agent after the 2012 season.
Most importantly: this news is much better than the possibility of the Giants trading Lincecum.
