Frank Franklin Ii/Associated Press
When major league teams begin their annual draft on June 3, they will confront a new and concerning possibility: That top amateur prospects could reject their offers and instead sign to play thousands of miles away, in Japan.
That trail has been blazed by Carter Stewart, a 19-year-old pitcher for Eastern Florida State University, who has agreed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on a six-year contract worth about $7 million, plus incentives. The deal, first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, would allow Stewart to become a free agent at age 25 — younger than almost all major league free agents, who typically toil in the minors before heading to the majors, where they are required to have six years of service before free agency.