It's September, folks, and things are getting weird.

The New York Yankees sold at the trade deadline, and now they're postseason contenders.

The New York Mets gave an actual minor league contract to Tim Tebow, a 29-year-old ex-NFL quarterback who hasn't played baseball competitively since high school. 

New York Mets third baseman Jose Reyes enjoyed a pair of big performances Tuesday and Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds, becoming the first player all season to record back-to-back games in which he both hit a home run and stole a base, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays combined for an unusual feat in Thursday's game at Yankee Stadium, playing the first MLB contest all season that included multi-homer efforts from three different players, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Bryan Harper had just entered a tie game to start the ninth inning for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, and he was now in a bind—loading the bases on two walks and a sharp single.

The next Portland Sea Dogs batter slammed a hard grounder up the middle for a short-to-second, inning-ending force out. A walk in the bottom half plated the run that made Harper a 2–1 winner.

The divide between MLB contenders and pretenders is smaller than ever, increasing the impact of each contributor on the roster.

As many as 19 teams are in the postseason running with less than a month remaining. Most of them can thank the new wild-card format, as no division outside the American League East hosts an intense neck-and-neck race.

With so many teams ravaged by injuries, clubs are learning the importance of depth. No one star can carry a team to the World Series. Just ask the Los Angeles Angels.

It appears Tim Tebow will get the last laugh when it comes to his nascent baseball career. The former NFL quarterback and the New York Mets agreed to a minor league contract Thursday.

The Mets announced the deal, noting that Tebow will participate in the instructional league. ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the agreement. 

Here come the New York Yankees.

Seriously, they're in this thing.     

That seemed like an absurd notion when the Yankees went into full-blown sell mode just before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, jettisoning veteran pieces such as relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller and outfielder Carlos Beltran. New York was building for the future, the narrative went, waving a white flag and restocking its farm system.

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him out of the lineup for at least two days.

Continue for updates.

Correa Out with Strained Shoulder

Wednesday, Sept. 7

Per ESPN's Jim Bowden, Correa has a strained shoulder that will keep him out of the Astros' lineup for two to three days. 

Fact: Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier hit a home run in his fifth straight game on Tuesday. He joins Harmon Killebrew and Marty Cordova as the only players in Twins history to accomplish that feat. 

Just a Labor Day reminder that the return of football is far more of a downer than the annual exuberance baseball brings for this simple reason: The start of football means back to school (ugh). Baseball means summer is here (hum babe!). Though that still didn't stop me from being glued to the flat screen on what was a great opening weekend of college football….