Time to make Red Sox and Angels fans feel even worse

These tweets from Mike DiGiovanna are not news or rumors — just a guy thinking out loud — but they probably make Angels and Red Sox fans feel bad:

I would not be surprised if #Angels try to engage #RedSox in a Vernon Wells-for-John Lackey swap of bad contracts this winter. (more)

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) August 20, 2012

Wells might be better fit in Fenway, #Angels will need pitching if let Haren/Santana go. $ already spent. Might as well be in areas of need.

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) August 20, 2012

At least Anaheim fans have some fond memories of Lackey. Not at all sure what Red Sox fans have done to deserve Vernon Wells.

It’d be fun for the rest of us, though.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said that pitcher Nathan Eovaldi will join the starting rotation on Monday or Tuesday to face the Athletics, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Eovaldi’s rehab outing with Triple-A Durham went well, even though he gave up eight runs in four innings.

Eovaldi, 28, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He had arthroscopic surgery in March to remove loose bodies in his elbow. It’s been a long road back. Knowing Eovaldi needed to recover from surgery, the Rays signed him to a one-year, $2 million contract in 2017 that included a $2 million club option for 2018 that they exercised last November.

When Eovaldi last pitched, he ranked among baseball’s hardest throwers, particularly among starters. He averaged 97.1 MPH on his fastball in 2016. Among starters who racked up at least 100 innings that season, only the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard had a higher average velocity (97.9 MPH). It remains to be seen if he still has that velocity after undergoing two procedures on his elbow.

The Rays will be glad to have Eovaldi back. The club has sustained injuries to Jake Faria, Yonny Chirinos, and Jose De Leon.

Follow @Baer_Bill