Roth Regatta

San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum asked $13 million for baseball betting in salary arbitration, a record for a player eligible for the first time, and Seattle pitcher Felix Hernandez closed in on a five-year contract with the Mariners.

Seventy-one players reached agreements with their teams ahead of yesterday’s exchange of figures, leaving 38 in arbitration.

The Giants offered $8 million to Lincecum, 40-17 with a 2.90 ERA since he was brought up early in the 2007 season. He won the NL C

Y Young Award in his each of first two full seasons, becoming the first repeat winner since Randy Johnson from 1999 to 2002. Lincecum was a bargain last year, when he made $650,000.

Lincecum also agreed yesterday to pay $513 to resolve marijuana charges against him in Washington State, stemming from a traffic stop on Oct. 30.

Hernandez asked for the second-highest figure, $11.5 million, and the Mariners offered $7.2 million. He is due in Seattle for a physical needed to finalize his contr

act, a source said.

Jeff Francoeur and the New York Mets agreed to a $5 million, one-year contract, making him one of three players who settled with the team before going to salary arbitration. Relief pitchers Pedro Feliciano ($2.9 million) and Sean Green ($975,000) also agreed to one-year deals.

Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon agreed to a $9.35 million, one-year deal, the highest salary for a reliever with at least four years of major-league service. The agreement surpassed Mariano

Rivera’s $7.25 million contract after the 2000

Check out Baseball bet news site for the remaining players seeks in salary arbitration.