The 27-year-old Cain, a two-time All-Star, went 12-11 last season with a 2.88 ERA and reached 200 innings for the fifth straight season — a span in which he also has made at least 32 starts each year.
BY JANIE MCCAULEY | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — San Francisco Giants president and CEO Larry Baer hinted Saturday there might not be a swift resolution regarding his club’s territorial rights in the South Bay and whether the Oakland Athletics will be allowed to relocate to San Jose.
It appears as if negotiations on a possible contract extension with Giants ace Matt Cain also could take a while. While the Giants have said they are committed to keeping their top two pitchers for the long haul — including two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum — Cain said for the first time Saturday he’s seeking a “fair value.”
“We’re listening to anything that’s of fair value. That’s the way we’re taking it,” Cain said.
At the owners’ meetings last month, Commissioner Bud Selig said the situation facing the A’s and Giants was on the “front burner.” He appointed a committee in March 2009 to evaluate the issue facing the Bay Area’s two baseball teams but has not indicated when an announcement on the findings might come.
“We continue to be respectful of the process, and there is a process,” Baer said from his team’s Scottsdale Stadium spring training site. “The game is bigger than any internal machinations. I think it’s not good for the game to have whatever internal back-and-forth between teams. That’s not good for the game. We want to be respectful and see the game flourish in our market, in all the markets.”
In regards to negotiating with Cain, Baer said “it’s to be determined” whether the sides will reach any common ground on what would be considered fair market value. Giants general manager Brian Sabean has long identified keeping his top pitchers around for the long haul as one of his top priorities. Lincecum received a $40.5 million, two-year contract late last month to avoid an arbitration hearing.
“I don’t want to comment on status, but any time you’re talking, it’s a good thing, and we’ll talk,” Baer said of dealings with Cain. “It’s been a lot of back-and-forth conversations. All I will say is that if there are conversations, that’s a good thing. We care about all of our players and the homegrown players, obviously, carry some special qualities. Matt or any of our guys are people that we’re going to put big energy into.”
The 27-year-old Cain, a two-time All-Star, went 12-11 last season with a 2.88 ERA and reached 200 innings for the fifth straight season — a span in which he also has made at least 32 starts each year.