Let's mark this down right from the start: Tim Lincecum is irreplaceable.
Before, during and definitely after his journey into No-Hit Wonderland last weekend, Lincecum has been the Giants' most compelling character and most powerful electrical current for nearly every millisecond of his seven seasons in black & orange.
Sometimes he has been their best player, most times recently he has not been close to that, but Lincecum has always been unique and impossible to quantify, and there is an immense value in that, no doubt.
So, yes, if and when Lincecum departs the Giants, whether it's in five days, five months or five years, there will be a void that can't be fully filled, 33 starts a year that will seem deadly dull in comparison, and several dozen moments in Giants history that will never be replicated.
That's stipulated. That's undeniable. That's Lincecum's unique and earned place in the Giants' past and present, with his huge smile at the end of Saturday's no-hitter in San Diego serving as a glowing exclamation point.
But... that doesn't mean the Giants have to hold onto Lincecum forever, and I think in many ways it points to the inevitable conclusion that his time with the Giants will soon and logically come to a close.
The rest of the article: http://www.mercurynews.com/tim-kawakami/ci_23672032/tim-lincecums-days-san-francisco-giants-could-be
Interesting read.