Giants lowballing Matt Cain

Time is running out for the Giants to resign their longest tenured player.

Matt Cain and his representatives have to be running out of patience with the Giants, who seem to be bungling this contract negotiation.

According to CBS Sports’s Jon Heyman, the Giants and Cain are far apart on a deal, and with the supposed Opening Day deadline looming, it doesn’t appear that the two sides are headed towards an agreement.

The 26-year-old Cain is a free agent at the end of the season and is looking for a nine-figure deal. Heyman cites his sources that the Giants made an offer a few weeks ago that was “far less” than $100 million.

Heyman went on to say that “one person familiar with Cain’s thinking” believes Cain won’t accept anything less than $100 million.

If the Giants aren’t willing to give it to him, surely he’ll find a team on the open market willing to break the bank.

Considering that the Giants were unwilling to shell out for their two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that the Giants have taken the low road on the Cain negotiations.

The difference between the two situations is that the Giants still have next offseason to work out a long-term deal with Lincecum. If they don’t sign Cain within the next two weeks, and he refuses to negotiate during the season, they lose their exclusive rights to sign him and the Giants will have to compete against other teams.

Maybe it’s the eye-opening the Giants need. Maybe they need to see what other teams are willing to pay Cain. Unfortunately, by then, it could be too late.