Ever wanted to buy stock in your favorite baseball player? Now you can! Los Angeles Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney is set to become the first baseball player to enter into a "brand contract," according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.
Heaney signed a deal with Fantex that will net him $3.34 million for 10 percent of his future earnings. Here are the details of the contract per Rosenthal:
Under the terms of the deal, Heaney will receive $3.34 million in exchange for 10 percent of all future earnings related to his brand, including player contracts, corporate endorsements and appearance fees.
The agreement is contingent on Fantex obtaining the financing necessary to pay the purchase price. The shares are not yet up for sale, and Heaney, his agents and Fantex officials cannot yet comment.
Both Major League Baseball and the players union consented to Heaney's deal, which could be the first of several involving major leaguers.
We are entering a strange, new world here.*
As Rosenthal explains, Heaney would likely have to make $33.4 million during his career in order for his investors to see a return on their investment. That's an educated guess by Rosenthal based on similar contracts signed by NFL players.*
So, if you believe Heaney will be a successful major-league player, you should probably invest in him. If the 24-year-old rookie is just an average pitcher, he should easily make $33.4 million if you combine his projected arbitration figures with his contract once he hits the free-agent market.*
One of the coolest things about being a fan of the game is holding furious debates with your friends. Now, you can literally put your money where your mouth is.
Think your favorite team just traded away a stud prospect? Invest in his future. Feel like the latest Rookie of the Year was a fluke? Laugh at those who bought in.
Think the whole thing is weird? You're probably right. The idea of "owning" a player seems incredibly strange, and a little creepy, right now.
[Check out Big League Stew on Tumblr for even more baseball awesomeness.]

Since Heaney is the first player to try this type of thing, we're not entirely sure how this is going to play out. Now that Heaney has taken this step, it will be interesting to see whether other players follow suit, or if they find the whole situation a little bizarre.*
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

- - - - - - -
[B]Follow @Chris_Cwik