Boras blames MLB as Carter Stewart picks Japan over draft

Super agent Scott Boras feels amateur prospect and client Carter Stewart had little choice but to reportedly sign a deal with Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. And he's blaming Major League Baseball for it.

"Carter has a unique set of circumstances that placed him in (a) position where MLB placed a detriment upon him," Boras said, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. "There are only a few draft picks in this decade that are worth this consideration and treatment.

"But the blithe he suffered in the draft really created a scenario where the Japanese alternative is almost a necessity. He had no opportunity to get true value in the American system."

The Atlanta Braves selected Stewart eighth overall - a slot value worth $4.98 million - in 2018. But the Braves only offered him $2 million after they discovered ligament damage in his wrist following the draft.

He went back to school to rebuild his value and maintain eligibility, but it became apparent two weeks before this year's draft that he wouldn't be a first-round pick, according to Nightengale.

"The American system created a bias towards this player that was extraordinarily false," Boras said. "It gave the player a motivation to look for alternatives. This is a portal where you are getting double or triple the money what MLB is paying in the draft, and you're a free agent at 25."

Stewart's historic six-year contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks is worth more than $7 million, according to reports. He was expected to earn $1.5 million as a second-round pick in 2019.

"This will have a great impact on baseball," Boras said. "Players now know they have an alternative that is much more economically beneficial. These talents have a value, and we have a system that has depressed the value of these players."

He added: "In time, we will have the opportunity to look back and understand what this meant, and how it impacted the system."