D-Backs soften on Lincecum: We're confident in our starters
However the Arizona Diamondbacks plan to proceed with Tim Lincecum, they aren't showing their hand.
Along with a slew of clubs, the D-Backs sent several scouts to Lincecum's showcase in Scottsdale, but general manager Dave Stewart said senior vice president/assistant GM De Jon Watson isn't sold on the 31-year-old.
"I'll get a little bit more detail from De Jon when we get back about how he really threw," Stewart told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. "He called, but he didn't call me saying, 'You've got to get this guy.' I don't see us going any steps further. We're not in the best financial situation to be picking up a ton of money on a guy."
Tim Lincecum tosses 41 pitches, hits 92 mph in today's showcase for more than 20 clubs: https://t.co/tDuqDEOZQ0 pic.twitter.com/PB4fa0ppDn
— MLB (@MLB) May 7, 2016
But even if money wasn't a problem, Stewart went on to say his front-end starters, Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller, are coming around. They're both coming off their best back-to-back starts of the season.
| Pitcher | Date | Opp | IP | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z. Greinke | May 6 | Braves | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| S. Miller | May 7 | Braves | 6.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
"We really are confident with the guys," Stewart said. "It looks like the top two are starting to throw the ball like they're capable. The other three are already throwing the ball good, shown signs of it."
Collectively, Arizona's starters own a 5.22 ERA, with opposing batters hitting .276 off them.