This Tim Lincecum situation is interesting. And it's interesting because it's interesting even though it really shouldn't be interesting. Tim Lincecum is going to pitch for the Giants in 2012. He's going to pitch for the Giants in 2013. This has long been set in stone, barring an injury. All we're dealing with is a matter of salary. Salary is kind of dry. But it's Tim Lincecum, and people love talking and reading about Tim Lincecum, so, here we are. Tim Lincecum's arbitration situation is interesting.

As you've probably heard, Tuesday, Lincecum requested $21.5 million in arbitration, while the Giants offered $17 million. Both represent records for players with less than six years of service time. Over at FanGraphs, our own and their own Wendy Thurm examines how Lincecum might fare were this to advance all the way to a hearing:

The arbitrators must choose a number. There’s no compromise. If it gets that far, my bet is on the Giants’ $17 million offer. It’s more in line with Lincecum’s service-time peers who have outperformed him over the last two seasons. Yes, he won the Cy Young in 2008 and 2009, but he has not kept pace with Halladay, Lee and Sabathia, and shouldn’t be compensated at their level.

That's the conclusion. Click the link to read everything before the conclusion. Odds are this won't get as far as a hearing in the first place, but if it does, well, Wendy's got you (it?) covered.