As the San Francisco Giants and two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum begin the long and winding road down the path of arbitration, team vice president Bobby Evans took some time to talk about their situation on CSN Bay Area on Tuesday, noting nothing but optimism that the two sides can work out a deal.

The two sides exchanged figures before Tuesday’s filing deadline, in which Lincecum and the Giants both set new records for asking prices with Timmy shooting for $21.5 million and the Giants countering with $17 million, leaving Timmy’s arbitration middle ground at $19.25 million.

Arbitration talks would go on for three weeks in February if the they can’t reach a deal beforehand. Remember, the Giants avoided the negotiation table two years ago when they pulled out a two-year, $23 million deal in the 11th hour before arbitration.

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