"Tim Lincecum always has been a rare bird, from his windup to his hair to his demeanor, so who better to agree to that rare baseball contract that makes everyone a winner?

The two-year, $40.5 million deal, which was completed Tuesday but will not be official until he passes a physical next week, is exactly what Lincecum said he preferred four months ago, when he told The Chronicle, "I just don't know how I'm going to feel five years from now, or three years. That's why I kind of like to take things step by step.""