Mets sign former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow to minor league deal
After his showcase on August 30, Tim Tebow is going to get a chance to make his baseball dreams a reality. The former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy-winning college star has signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets.
We have signed OF @TimTebow to a minor league contract. He will participate in the #Mets Instructional League. pic.twitter.com/I6gmW0b6hY
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 8, 2016
As of Wednesday night, eight teams had expressed interest in Tebow, but only three had been named: the Atlanta Braves, the Colorado Rockies, and the Toronto Blue Jays. We don’t know if the Mets had been one of those eight teams, but at this point it doesn’t matter: they’re the ones who actually inked a deal with him.
In early August, Mets GM Sandy Alderson actually joked about the Mets’ chances of signing Tim Tebow. From the New York Post:
“Are you insinuating we need a Hail Mary at this point?” Alderson said when asked if he would check out the former Jets quarterback. “That’s not something we’ve given a lot of thought to. I’d say it’s probably unlikely, but that’s without any real information on his baseball background. We’ll keep an open mind.”
It looks like Tebow’s showcase changed Alderson’s mind. The AP has reported that the contract the Mets offered Tebow includes a $100,000 signing bonus, which is serious money for an untested former football player who had a barely middling showcase. But despite his earlier jokes, Alderson insists this is nothing but business.
”While I and the organization are mindful of the novel nature of this situation, this decision was strictly driven by baseball,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said during a conference call.
”This was not something that was driven by marketing considerations or anything of the sort. We are extremely intrigued with the potential Tim has.”
Despite the career change, Tebow will still be allowed to continue his football broadcasting career. The Mets will allow him to miss a few days each week so he can make appearances on ESPN and the SEC Network.
Tebow will miss a few days each week during instructional league to continue broadcasting for ESPN and the SEC Network.
— Mike Vorkunov (@Mike_Vorkunov) September 8, 2016
This is Tebow’s second go-round with a New York team. He played for the New York Jets in 2012, and that ended up being his last season in the NFL.
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If Mets fans are wondering if they’ll see Tebow make any late-season or playoff appearances (if the Mets make it that far), they shouldn’t. The Mets announced that Tebow will reporting September 18 to their Instructional League in Florida. Since the reviews of his showcase were mixed, that seems like a good place for him to start. He couldn’t quite get a handle on live pitching, and even fell while trying to field on the warning track.
But Tebow was able to hit a baseball pretty far in batting practice, and that’s at least something for him to build on. Now that he’s been signed, it’s up to Tebow and his coaches to see if they can coax out some major league talent.
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Liz Roscher is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher