Writing in the *Providence Journal*:
> The reason is obvious: On top of what should be a lucrative salary, Lohse comes at the cost of a first-round draft pick for most teams, an early second-round draft pick for the rest. It’s a price no one has yet been willing to pay. Spring training games have begun, and Lohse remains unemployed.
> …
> Attaching a first-round draft pick to a free agent is not new. All that has changed is the value of that draft pick. Teams are hoarding their draft picks more than ever before. And blame for that can be put at the feet of the players’ union for throwing its members-to-be under the bus.
> [I]t’s now next to impossible for teams to compensate for the loss of a first-round draft pick the way they once did. The value of that first-round pick has skyrocketed accordingly.
An excellent example of the law of unintended consequences. It will be interesting to see if there is blowback against these new draft related rules going forward. It was one thing when the rules were impacting how the teams draft players, but now they are directly impacting whether or not certain players will be signed.