Tim Lincecum 2.0: His revival with the Angels is now official

Tim Lincecum and the Los Angeles Angels made it official Friday: His comeback attempt begins with a halo. Lincecum officially scrawled his name across a contract that will pay him $2.5 million to throw baseballs this season, a marriage of pitcher and pitching-depleted team that our own Jeff Passan first reported Monday.

Lincecum says his hips — surgically repaired at the end of last season — feel great. His fastball appears to have more life on it than we've seen in a few years. So, once again, hope springs for Lincecum, whose free fall from back-to-back Cy Young winner to afterthought with the Giants remains one of the most fascinating stories in the past decade of baseball.

Every year it seems like there's optimism that Big Time Timmy Jim. Mainly because baseball fans want to believe that the once unlikely ace can achieve such an unlikely comeback. And who doesn't like an unlikely comeback?

So with Angels deal becoming official and Lincecum talking to L.A. reporters for the first time, here's what we learned Friday about Tim Lincecum 2.0:

 

• Angels GM Billy Eppler says Lincecum needs 20-30 days in the minors, according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. That means Lincecum should arrive in mid-June, if everything goes according to plan. His first duties as a member of the Angels will be throwing a simulated game on Monday in Arizona.

 

• In addition to Lincecum's $2.5 million salary, he can potentially make another $1.67 million in bonuses. From the Associated Press:

Lincecum's free-agent deal with the Angels includes $1,175,000 in performance bonuses and $500,000 in roster bonuses. He would receive $25,000 for making 11 starts, $50,000 for 13, $100,000 for 15, $200,000 for 17 and $400,000 each for 19 and 21 starts.

In addition, he would receive $125,000 each for four, 30, 60 and 90 days on the active roster, excluding disabled list days spent due to a right hip injury.

• Lincecum told MLB.com's Fabian Ardaya that a few other teams wanted to sign him as a starting pitcher. Lincecum said being on the West Coast and "curiosity" were the top reasons he picked the Angels.

 

• There's some sorrow in San Francisco, where Giants fans adored Lincecum (even despite his rough recent history). The Giants pursued Lincecum, but he told reporters Friday their interests weren't aligned.

	Fabian Ardaya @FabianArdaya
Lincecum, on the Giants: “What my expectations were and what their expectations were [for me] didn’t exactly line up." 2:07 PM - 20 May 2016

• As for the Angels? According to the L.A. Times, Lincecum said: "To sign a contract with the Angels meant the world to me."