Giants rumors: Brian Wilson will not return

The San Francisco Giants have explicitly stated that they are not interested in bringing long-time closer Brian Wilson back to the Bay Area for 2013, reports Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post:

Brian Wilson’s tenure in San Francisco is all but over...

Giants senior vice president and general manager Brian Sabean all but confirmed that the closer would not be returning the team in 2013.

"I’m going to be brutally honest as I always am, I don’t [think Wilson will return]," Sabean said during an event in Midtown on Saturday.

Sabean added that Wilson has a long way to go in his rehab before anyone can be sure what kind of return they can expect from signing the right-hander. Wilson, 30, underwent his second Tommy John surgery in April of 2012 and has been working his way back to health since then.

Sulla-Heffinger speculates that the Giants' disinterest could open the door for the New York Mets, who have been showing interest in Wilson for several weeks.

With where he is in recovery, the right-hander is unlikely to receive a major-league deal from anyone. He could receive an incentive-laden split contract, however, which would give him the guarantee of a worthwhile salary if/when he makes it back onto a big-league pitching staff.