ATLANTA -- A source with knowledge of the litigation said the Braves have won the grievance filed by the Major League Baseball Players Association on behalf of Carter Stewart, a high school right-hander who was not signed after being selected with the eighth pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.
As a result, Atlanta will keep the ninth pick in this year's Draft. This compensatory pick was assigned as a result of Stewart not signing.
The MLBPA filed a grievance on Stewart's behalf alleging the Braves did not make an earnest attempt to sign Stewart after a medical review created concerns about the young hurler's right wrist.
To receive and then keep the ninth pick through this grievance process, Atlanta had to prove it made an offer that accounted for at least 40 percent of the slot value ($4,980,700) assigned to last year's eighth pick. In this case, the offer had to be at least $1,992,280.
A source with knowledge of the negotiations said Carter dropped his request to $3.7 million shortly before the July 6 deadline passed. The Braves' top offer was $2 million.
Because Stewart recently enrolled at a junior college (Eastern Florida State Community College), he will be eligible for this year's Draft. Had the 19-year-old pitcher stuck with his commitment to attend Mississippi State (a four-year school), he would not have been eligible until 2021.