Tim Lincecum and the Angels are close to a deal

Former Cy Young-winning right-hander Tim Lincecum is nearing a deal with the Angels, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke anonymously because the pact was not official.

Terms of the contract were not known, but it’s likely the 31-year-old right-hander would begin his season in the minor leagues and attempt to work his way up.

Lincecum has pitched poorly every year since 2011, saddled with declining velocity and a degenerative hip injury. Before that, though, he was one of baseball’s best for San Francisco, posting a 2.98 earned-run average in more than 1,000 innings over five seasons. He twice won the Cy Young, at age 24 and 25.

He had surgery on his hip in September, then threw during a showcase for hordes of scouts earlier this month at Scottsdale Stadium, the Giants’ spring-training facility. He repeatedly surpassed 90 mph with his fastball, according to people who were there.

The Giants reportedly have been interested in re-signing Lincecum all along, but as a reliever. With the Angels, he would presumably be given an opportunity to start.

The Angels have struggled to a 16-21 start and their rotation has been beset by injuries to Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney and longer-than-expected rehabilitation times for C.J. Wilson and Tyler Skaggs.

Wilson is the closest to returning, about one month away, which would be about the same timetable Lincecum would likely require. Skaggs and Heaney could also return to major league action this season.

pedro.moura@latimes.com

Twitter: @pedromoura