Former footballist Tim Tebow of course not long launched his baseball career, or rather his attempt at a baseball career. He's 29 years of age and hasn't played organized baseball since high school. However, Tebow likely showed enough power during his recent showcase to at least earn a look from a major-league organization. Increasingly, it looks like that major-league organization with be the Braves.
The Braves and Rockies have already been name-checked as clubs with interest in Tebow, and now Braves execs are talking openly about inking the former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL QB. Here's this via MLB.com's Mark Bowman:
"There's no risk," [GM John] Coppolella said. "If it doesn't work, we'll be honest with Tim early, and we can move on. If it does work, it's great for the Braves and it's great for baseball."
As Bowman reports, the Braves would pay Tebow a signing bonus of less than $100,000, send him to instructs and then possibly winter ball, and then be ticketed for Double-A Mississippi in 2017 without being added to the 40-man roster. That's a very specific plan and one that suggests there may indeed be a fit between team and player. Bowman's piece has more, including the former major-league whose swing Tebow's calls to mind.
While the Braves deny there's any "publicity seeking" element to their interest in Tebow, there's no doubt that the brand is waning given the recent rebuilding process and the controversial upcoming move to a suburban Atlanta ballpark funded heavily with tax dollars. Signing Tebow is certainly a way to get people talking and thinking about the Braves again. Who knows, maybe he'll even hit a little.
