Tim Lincecum needed 148 pitches for his first career no-hitter Saturday night.

The Detroit Tigers might be interested in a smaller workload from "The Freak."

FoxSports.com's Jon Morosi says the Tigers are among teams that have inquired about acquiring Lincecum from the San Francisco Giants, presumably to be used out of the bullpen.

Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young award winner, shined out of the bullpen in the World Series against Detroit last fall, throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and just one walk.

He was shifted to relief in the playoffs after going 10-15 with a 5.18 ERA in 2012, and is 5-9 with a 4.26 ERA in a return to the rotation this season.

Lincecum is in the final season of a contract that will pay him $22 million in 2013, so any team trading for the pending free agent may want some financial assistance.

Or, it's entirely possible the defending world champions don't become sellers at the trade deadline. San Francisco is 6.5 games out of first place in the NL West.

Detroit is in search of reliable options to bridge the gap between the starting rotation and setup man Drew Smyly and closer Joaquin Benoit.

— Email Josh Slagter at jslagter@mlive.com. Download the "Detroit Tigers" MLive app (iPhone or Android) for the latest news and updates.



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