Tim Tebow signs minor-league deal with New York Mets

Tebow signed a minor-league deal with the New York Mets and will report to the one-month instructional league in Port. St. Lucie, Fla. Anything after that is uncertain, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said Thursday.

“While I and the organization, I think, are mindful of the novel nature of this situation, this decision was strictly driven by baseball,” Alderson said. “This was not something that was driven by marketing considerations or anything of the sort. We are extremely intrigued with the potential that Tim has. He has demonstrated over his athletic career that he is a tremendous athlete, has got character, a competitive spirit. Aside from the age, this is a classic player-development opportunity for us. As an organization, we’re going to provide that development opportunity for time.”

The Mets did not guarantee an invitation to major-league spring training in 2017 and are permitting Tebow to fulfill his employment obligation as a studio host with SEC Network.

“It would be very premature for us to talk about where he might go next season,” Alderson said.

Tebow held a workout Aug. 30 and met one-on-one with five teams. Last week, he was considered close to finalizing a contract with the Atlanta Braves, but the deal didn’t get done.

Tebow, 29, worked out in Los Angeles and 46 scouts attended. He last played organized baseball as a junior in high school.

Tebow, a former Heisman Trophy winner, announced last month that he was interested in returning to baseball, attempting an athletic comeback in a sport he has not played since 2005.

Tebow attracted 28 of MLB’s 30 teams — only the Chicago Cubs and the Oakland Athletics did not attend — to his Southern California workout.

The consensus among the observers was that Tebow showed some power potential and good speed, but his fielding didn’t go as well. He batted against two former major league pitchers, David Aardsma and Chad Smith.

Tebow captured the 2007 Heisman Trophy as part of a stellar college football career at the University of Florida. The Broncos made him a first-round draft pick in 2010, and he led Denver to a playoff win after his second pro season. He also spent one season with the New York Jets.

Alderson said Tebow’s athletic prowess and relative celebrity status could be more a benefit than most realize, but he also stressed Tebow’s “makeup” as a reason the Mets took the chance.

The Colorado Rockies, Braves and Marlins reportedly had interest in Tebow.