Tim Tebow Reportedly Lands Contract Offer Even Before Baseball Workout

At least one team is buying the hype.

Tim Tebow, who is attempting to transition from NFL quarterback to Major League Baseball outfielder, was offered a contract with a winter ball team in Venezuela on Monday, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The reported offer from Aguilas del Zulia — a five-time champion of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League — came a day before Tebow’s scheduled baseball workout, which was expected to be attended by at least 20 MLB teams.

“He’s a great talent,” Aguilas general manager Luis Amaro told Yahoo! Sports. “He’s an athlete. He’s won the Heisman. He’s won two national championships. I know baseball is a hard game, but he’ll either adjust and show he’s ready to play pro ball or not. I think it’s low risk, high reward for Zulia.”

On the surface, it seems like a long shot that Tebow will fulfill his dream of playing in the majors. After all, he’s 29 years old and hasn’t played competitive baseball since high school. But any team that takes a chance on the polarizing (former?) NFL quarterback will gain some extra publicity, for better or worse, so it isn’t too surprising that his attempt is being taken seriously by some.

One source familiar with Tebow’s plans told Yahoo! Sports the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner has interest in playing winter ball, though he’s expected to decide on his future in the coming weeks. If Tebow accepts the offer from Aguilas del Zulia, it actually could present a good opportunity for him to get his feet wet. Mostly minor leaguers play in the league when it starts up in October, but the competition increases as the season goes on, largely because there’s an influx of big leaguers who join the mix from November through December.

In any event, it sounds like Tebow could have some options moving forward.