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The Mets have done well in building their roster this offseason. The front office shows a greater commitment to winning under new owner Steve Cohen.
But then they went and invited Tim Tebow to spring major league practice again.
MORE: Spring training report dates for all 30 MLB clubs
Let’s be blunt: they wasted the invitation. Instead, they should have posted him to the minor league camp. They should have used the roster on a free agent who is actually ready to play in the majors. Team president Sandy Alderson should have ended Tebow’s “publicity stunt” after all.
Tebow didn’t perform well enough in the minor leagues to receive the invitation. His final season, 2019, ended with him injured and sporting a .495 OPS strikeout and 37.1 strikeouts at Triple-A Syracuse. Injuries also interrupted his 2018 season, when he showed promise at Double-A.
Now, he’s 33, and he hasn’t swung a bat in a competitive setting for a year and a half.
At this point, the organization’s passion for Tebow shouldn’t be limited to selling tickets or generating publicity. Participation will be limited for shows in Port Saint Lucia and for the first part of the Triple-A season in Syracuse. The demand for tickets should be easily met, without Tebow’s help.
This movement must therefore also concern baseball. Does Alderson still believe Tebow has the ability of the big leagues? From that point of view, he’s wrong if he believes that.
Here is a partial list of available free agents that the Mets could have tried to invite to camp instead: Cameron Maybin, Kevin Pillar, Yasiel Puig, Danny Santana. Jay Bruce, also 33, signed a minor league contract with the Yankees on Saturday. It’s a piece of depth that rightfully strikes left-handed people.
Even a minor league free agent like Braxton Lee, who played with Tebow in Syracuse, would have made more sense.
Cohen said in his introduction as the owner, “I am not here to be mediocre.” A few months later, the front office threw a spring spot on Tebow, who hasn’t shown he can be even mediocre as a big leaguer.
Alderson has to let go. Tebow is a good guy, but he’s not a good player. The Mets shouldn’t have thought twice about inviting someone better.
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