Carter Stewart's Decision to Play in Japan Could Change the Business of the MLB Draft

It sounds insane, but on Wednesday, a prospect's decision could have completely changed the business of the MLB draft.

Carter Stewart, a 19-year-old starting pitcher out of Eastern Florida State junior college, elected to sign a six-year contract worth more than $7 million with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of Japan's Pacific League.

Right-hander Carter Stewart, the No. 8 pick in last year's draft who did not sign with the Atlanta Braves, is in agreement with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on a six-year deal worth more than $7 million, sources tell ESPN. Stewart, 19, will start in the minor leagues in Japan.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 22, 2019

MLB teams are no strangers to players not signing with their organization because they believe they're not getting the true value that they deserve in their contract. Heck, it happened with Kyler Murray, who elected to play football, and will make $35 million over four years.

Stewart, who was drafted in 2018 by the Atlanta Braves with the eighth pick, believed he did not get fair value in his contract offer, as he was offered around $2 million -- well below the $4.98 million slot value of the pick. This was because the Braves believed he was injured.

Last year's No. 8 #MLBDraft pick, Carter Stewart, has agreed to a deal with Fukuoka of the Japanese Pacific League, per @MLBNetwork's @Ken_Rosenthal. #Braves didn't sign Stewart last year due to a wrist injury. He's #59 on our Top 100 Draft Prospects list: https://t.co/klEwXZrZ5L pic.twitter.com/R3ViT5M829
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 21, 2019

Stewart's draft stock took a dip after electing to go to junior college, as he was projected to go in the second round in this year's draft, and would have received less than the $2 million he was offered in 2018. With the signing, he will stand to make more money initially, and will be able to return to the United States at 25-years-old, and sign a long-term contract with any team.

Tough times for players seeking oodles of cash from owners. So Scott Boras working an interesting angle. A client of his was drafted in first round last yr but was low-balled and didn’t sign. So Boras gets the kid a $7M/6 yr deal with a Japanese team. At 25 he’ll be a free agent
— jsc2100 (@jsc2100) May 22, 2019

This deal makes sense financially, and go figure that it was negotiated by super-agent Scott Boras. This way, Boras is able to gain leverage in contract negotiations for the MLB draft. He could now officially threaten teams by saying if you don't sign my player to a dollar amount we find appropriate, then they'll go to Japan or anywhere else.

Carter Stewart is Scott Boras' perfect MLB draft tool https://t.co/sNrJLnrqCE pic.twitter.com/HozjhQNzpZ
— New York Post (@nypost) May 22, 2019

Stewart and Boras are taking a huge leap of faith here. There's always the chance that Stewart goes down with an injury, or simply regresses and never bounces back.

However, there's a big time reward in line for Stewart should he shine in Japan, as teams will line up to give him incredible amounts of money that he likely would not have received until he was 27 or 28, thanks to service time in MLB.

This is the big part about Carter Stewart: He can come to MLB six years after signing in NPB as a FA. You need six years *in the big leagues* in MLB to become an FA!

Next CBA should have X years total control to FA, not MLB service only. https://t.co/TukPauNpoj
— Kyle Boddy (@drivelinebases) May 22, 2019

This is an interesting storyline that fans everywhere will be keeping their eye on for years to come. It's safe to say that if this six-year experiment is a success, Boras and Stewart would have successfully changed the way business is done in MLB, as agents will have more leverage now than ever. If it doesn't work out, at least Carter made a cool $7 million.