Tim Tebow Signs Minor League Deal With the Mets

Tim Tebow's journey to the majors has begun.

The New York Mets signed the polarizing former Heisman Trophy winner, 29, to a minor league deal.

It'll be the Florida Gators' great second stab with a New York franchise -- he had a brief stint with the NFL's Jets back in 2012, his last season in the league.

The Instructional League begins September 18 and concludes October 8, which means you shouldn't expect to see him suit up for the parent club this season.

Tebow announced last month he would hold workouts for Major League teams.

Signing Tebow is something of a surprise, since Mets GM Sandy Alderson joked about the possibility last month, calling a move like that "a Hail Mary." While his tryouts generated mixed reviews, Alderson said he has quite the upside.

"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.