Braves won’t forfeit No. 9 pick due to Carter Stewart saga

The Atlanta Braves will be hanging on to the No. 9 pick in the 2019 MLB Draft according to a report by The Athletic’s David O’Brien. The MLBPA had filed a grievance against the Braves back in October on behalf of Carter Stewart whom the Braves had selected with the No. 8 pick in the 2018 draft but failed to sign after some medical concerns with his wrist surfaced. However, per O’Brien that grievance has been resolved and Atlanta will be keeping its pick.

The grievance had been seeking free agency for Stewart but he enrolled at a junior college in Florida last week which seemed to indicate that his free agency bid had failed.

To be eligible for the compensation pick, Atlanta had to offer at least 40 percent of the slot value which was just over $4.9 million for the No. 8 pick. That meant an offer of just under $2 million would have been sufficient.

The team has not disclosed what the offer to Stewart was and has not commented publicly on the grievance filed by the Player’s Association. Per O’Brien’s report, they were never concerned about losing the pick and believed all along that Stewart would be returning to the draft rather than being declared a free agent.

The Braves will have the No. 9 pick in the 2019 MLB Draft as well as the No. 21 pick which is their normal pick based on their 2018 record.