the threadbare radar gun crack is useless word salad. meaningless. a mindless baseball cliche.
let me tell you what the future holds, best case scenario; he winds up in camp someplace, perhaps even breaks camp with a big league team. he gets shelled. home by may, june for sure. take it to the bank.
you really have to be man-crushed to think tbis guy that hasn’t been able to pitch effectively in the big leagues for three years will suddenly get his act together with the passage of time and the addition of age.
I would say that your prediction is the most likely outcome. Pitching creates a lot of wear & tear. Rest can allow some significant recovery and a return of the ‘arm strength’. But it usually goes away quickly with older pitchers. Not wishing it on Lincecum. Just recognizing that Father Time rules.