Earlier in the week, reports surfaced linking Tim Lincecum to the Angels.
On Friday, the club confirmed those rumors by making the move official. As an added bonus, Angels general manager Billy Eppler also laid out the tentative schedule for Lincecum:
Eppler: Lincecum should need 20-30 days in minors. First step: simulated game Monday.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) May 20, 2016
Barring a setback, the above timetable puts Lincecum on pace to return to the majors sometime in mid-to-late June, which is far from ideal for the Angels, a team that is without Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney, and C.J. Wilson, and one that is getting substandard results from Jered Weaver and Matt Shoemaker.
We've noted already that Lincecum is hardly a panacea for all that ails the Angels, and how the hopes of a turn-back-the-clock performance are probably overzealous. Still, the sad truth is Lincecum doesn't have to be his old, hardware-earning self in order to represent an upgrade.
Unfortunately, for the Angels, that potential boost is almost a month away from being actualized.
