Mets Sign Tim Tebow To Minor League Deal

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The Mets have signed outfielder Tim Tebow to a minor league contract, according to a team press release.  He’ll head to the team’s instructional league at their Spring Training site in Port St. Lucia, Fla. Tebow is represented by CAA’s Brodie Van Wagenen.



The “outfielder” label, of course, is relatively new for the former NFL quarterback. Tebow’s most recent baseball experience came all the way back in high school, as he went on to star at the University of Florida in an extremely successful college career that saw him win the 2007 Heisman Trophy before being drafted 25th overall in the 2010 draft by the Denver Broncos. Tebow became an unlikely hero early in his NFL career, leading the Broncos to a number of late-game comebacks in his second NFL season, including a dramatic overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, his overall performance was middling, at best, and Tebow would appear in just one more NFL season (2012 as a member of the Jets). He signed contracts with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles as well in 2013 and 2015 but appeared only in preseason contests for the two teams, ultimately settling in as an analyst at ESPN before recently announcing his desire to pursue a baseball career.

It goes without saying that the 29-year-old Tebow is a phenomenal natural athlete, though that certainly doesn’t guarantee any form of success in his move from professional football to professional baseball. Tebow worked out in front of scouts for 28 of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams last week — the Cubs and A’s did not attend — and was met with, at best, mixed reviews. Tebow was average or slightly above average in his 60-yard dash time and impressed scouts with his raw power, but his throwing arm drew considerably weaker reviews. And of course, Tebow will have to adjust to facing professional pitching on the fly. To this point, he’s worked out with former MLB catcher Chad Moeller and hit against free agent reliever David Aardsma, who pitched in the Majors as recently as last season. Still, even for an athlete of Tebow’s caliber, the learning curve will be substantial from this point forth.

While it has to be characterized as an extreme long shot that Tebow will ever be a meaningful contributor for the Mets (or even reach the Majors, for that matter), there’s little downside in at least rolling the dice on an athlete of his caliber that at least showed some degree of promise in a showcase. Braves GM John Coppolella offered similar sentiments just two nights ago, stating that there’s “no risk” to signing Tebow and admitting that Atlanta was exploring the possibility of signing Tebow to a minor league deal. And Tebow drew at least some degree of interest from at least eight teams, including the Blue Jays, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported last night (links to Twitter).

ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the signing (via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Tim Tebow signs minor league contract with Mets

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Tim Tebow is officially a professional baseball player.

The New York Mets announced on Thursday that they have signed Tebow to a minor league contract.

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

The instructional league is the earliest stage of development for a player, so Tebow has a long way to go before he can even think about sniffing the grass at Citi Field.

At least one other team was interested in the same type of deal for Tebow, which makes sense. There’s no risk involved with this type of contract. While it is still highly unlikely that Tebow will ever play in the majors, some felt he was more impressive than expected at his MLB workout. You can see some videos from that here.

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Mets’ silence casts next Jacob deGrom start into question

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There is apparently a serious possibility that Jacob deGrom won’t make his next start for the New York Mets.

After laboring through five innings and allowing three runs to the Marlins on Thursday, deGrom called the trainer into the clubhouse after he was pulled from the game. There was an insistence from all involved that everything was fine, but manager Terry Collins seemed to indicate that wasn’t the case when speaking to the media on Friday.

Asked if Jacob deGrom is capable of making his next start after last night"s episode with Ray Ramirez, Terry Collins would not comment.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 2, 2016

Collins did nod his head yes when asked if there is concern about deGrom.

— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) September 2, 2016

The Mets are being tight-lipped at the moment, but it wouldn’t be a big surprise if something were bothering deGrom. He has allowed 16 runs in his last 14.2 innings. It’s just the latest blow in what has been a trying, injury-riddled season for the reigning NL champs, and frustration has mounted inside and outside of the clubhouse. A deGrom injury of any length could be a fatal blow to what remains of their wildcard hopes.

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Mets Acquire Fernando Salas

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The Mets announced that they have acquired right-handed reliever Fernando Salas from the Angels in exchange for minor league right-hander Erik Manoah. Justin Ruggiano has been moved to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Salas on the 40-man roster.



Salas, 31, has pitched to a 4.47 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 41.6 percent ground-ball rate in 56 1/3 innings of relief for the Angels this season. A free agent at season’s end, he represents a pure rental for the Mets, but a fairly affordable one, as he’s earning $ 2.4MM in his final season of arbitration eligibility. Salas has $ 419K of that sum remaining on his salary through season’s end. While his numbers certainly aren’t eye-catching, it’s worth noting that Salas has largely righted the ship after a dreadful month of June and has pitched quite well since early July. While the endpoint here is highly arbitrary in nature, Salas has a 2.60 ERA with an 18-to-7 K/BB ratio and a 48 percent ground-ball rate in his past 17 1/3 innings out of manager Mike Scisoscia’s bullpen.

With the Mets, Salas figures to work primarily in the seventh inning, as the eighth inning is typically the property of resurgent setup man Addison Reed, while the Mets boast one of baseball’s best closers in the form of right-hander Jeurys Familia. By acquiring Salas tonight, the Mets have ensured that he can be a part of the club’s roster in the event that they make it to the postseason. The deadline for newly acquired players to receive postseason eligibility is midnight EST.

Manoah, 20, was the Mets’ 13th-round pick in the 2014 draft. The Miami-area prep product hasn’t performed particularly well in his pro career to date, pitching to an ERA north of 5.00 in both 2015 and 2016. However, he has shown a penchant for missing bats, racking up 63 strikeouts in 62 innings out of the rotation for the Mets’ short-season Class-A affiliate this year, and he also keeps the ball on the ground quite well, as evidenced by a 50 percent ground-ball rate.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Mets GM Sandy Alderson: ‘No present plans’ to fire manager Terry Collins

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The struggling New York Mets have come under fire recently, but for the moment, their issues are not going to cost manager Terry Collins his job.

General manager Sandy Alderson gave a rather evasive statement Thursday in which he gave Collins something of a vote of confidence.

“Do I ever make any statement unequivocally?” Alderson said, via ESPN’s Adam Rubin. “There are no present plans to make any changes.”

Alderson had to deal with a heckler calling for former Padres manager Bud Black, and he understands the criticism.

“We all have an expectation of winning,” Alderson said. “None of us uses injuries as an excuse. That’s true inside the organization. That’s true for our fans, as well. That’s why I understand the frustration.”

Collins isn’t happy about how things are going either, as evidenced by this recent press conference. If it’s any consolation, his job doesn’t seem to be in peril.

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Mets reportedly engaged in trade talks with Reds for Jay Bruce

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The New York Mets are apparently trying to assemble a star-studded cast of characters in their outfield.

According to a report by Mark Sheldon of MLB.com on Saturday, the Mets are “very involved” in a pursuit of Reds right fielder Jay Bruce, though no trade appears to be imminent.

Source says Mets "very involved" in pursuing Jay Bruce. Unlike Lucroy for Brewers, Bruce is in #reds lineup tonight.

— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) July 30, 2016

The three-time All-Star appears to have at least a fifth of the league on his tail this trade season, but the Mets definitely look like one of the more intriguing destinations. Pairing Bruce in right with Yoenis Cespedes in left and the Curtis Granderson-Michael Conforto duo in center would give the reigning National League champs arguably the deepest outfield squadron in all of baseball.

Bruce, 29, is also comfortable hitting cleanup and would give a big-time boost to the Mets provided that they can piece together the right package for him.

Image Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

H/T Rotoworld

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