Tim Lincecum Rumors: FA Closer Reportedly Will Sign Rangers Contract

Although he has gone two years without pitching in the major leagues, Tim Lincecum is on the brink of a comeback.

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the two-time Cy Young Award winner is "deep into talks" with the Texas Rangers on a possible one-year deal. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports confirmed that Lincecum will join the Rangers.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported Lincecum will get a $1 million base contract with incentives.

While he has been a starter for most of his career, Lincecum could be used out of the bullpen and possibly become the team's closer, per Passan.

Out of his 278 career appearances in the majors, only eight have come out of the bullpen.

The 33-year-old was once one of the most talented pitchers in the game for the San Francisco Giants, earning four All-Star appearances in his first five seasons and finishing in the top 10 of Cy Young voting for four straight years. Unfortunately, he began to struggle and posted just a 4.68 ERA from 2012-15.

His lone season with the Los Angeles Angels in 2016 was a massive failure, as he went 2-6 with a 9.16 ERA.

After taking the 2017 season off, he returned to showcase his skills to about 20 scouts from 15 teams, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

While several teams were interested in signing him to a minor league deal, the Dodgers and Rangers were the ones offering a major league contract, according to Heyman.

Now, it appears he will wind up in Texas, which can use help in both its rotation and bullpen after finishing 21st in the majors in ERA last season, per ESPN. If he can consistently induce outs, this could be a valuable addition regardless of where he fits into the pitching staff.