Everyone has an opinion over Tim Tebow being signed by the Mets but ex-MLB pitcher Burke Badenhop has a deeper opinion as an ex-player. He, for one, is not too enthused.
If you know anything about this Tim Tebow signing, you know that the main reason he was probably even signed is because a team wanted ticket sales as well as jersey sales. If you know a little bit about the Mets, you know that this right up their alley. The Mets signing bonus for Tim Tebow was $100,000 and that’s something that rubbed ex-MLB pitcher Burke Badenhop the wrong way.
The ex-pitcher took it to column for MLB trade rumors and expressed himself in the deepest of ways. He clearly didn’t hold back.
The problem for me arose when I heard he signed for $100,000, the equivalent of a bonus for a top ten round draft pick. For some reason, it hurt. It stung. …
I fully realize that Tebow will sell a lot of jerseys and will entice far more fans to come to the ballpark than I ever did. From a business standpoint, he will probably be profitable. But, as a former player, those ends don’t necessarily justify the means. Taking a roster spot on a minor league team is one thing, but also handing a guy $100,000 is another. This move comes in a day and age when minor leaguers are finally standing up and voicing their displeasure with how their salaries have drastically lagged behind the overall financial growth in our game. I immediately thought of all the struggles you have as a minor leaguer — all of the two-bedroom apartments you end up sharing with five guys. I would have killed for even a $5,000 bonus.
To see a team give a 29-year-old with no baseball experience a six-figure bonus because he was good at college football was confusing. The road to “The Show” isn’t a walk in the park. You don’t get to the big leagues as a 19th-rounder and stay without earning it. It was a badge of honor for me. This signing makes it seem that maybe teams don’t take the grind as seriously as the players do. It sends a very mixed message.
You kind of have to agree with Badenhop. This signing is still confusing to me, too.
