Kyle Lohse rumors fade away as Spring Training sneaks up

Kyle Lohse is still a free agent, just in case you haven't thought about him since the St. Louis Cardinals gave him an obligatory qualifying offer.

Kyle Lohse rumors should take a hit as Edwin Jackson's contract demands decline

Edwin Jackson apparently won't get four years in free agency. That should portend bad things for St. Louis Cardinals free agent Kyle Lohse.

Kyle Lohse rumors suggest contract length might scare Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are among teams that have been connected to Kyle Lohse, but contract length might be an issue.

Los Angeles Dodgers rumors grasp Kyle Lohse in their tentacles, because of course they do

In the least surprising news of the 2013 MLB offseason, word has gotten out that the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in Kyle Lohse.

Kyle Lohse rumors: Boston Red Sox would be a bad fit for erstwhile Cardinals ace

The Boston Red Sox have supposedly called Kyle Lohse, but it would be a bad move for both parties to bring him into Fenway Park.

Boston Red Sox rumors reach free agent Kyle Lohse

Kyle Lohse could be an option for the rebuilding Boston Red Sox.

Kyle Lohse rumors: Jeremy Guthrie free agency deal portends big 2013 payday for Lohse

Jeremy Guthrie signed a three-year, $25 million deal with the Kansas City Royals this week, which means Kyle Lohse is about to be an even wealthier man.

Kyle Lohse rumors: St. Louis Cardinals ace a free agent gamble after declining qualifying offer

Kyle Lohse turned down the St. Louis Cardinals' qualifying offer, as expected, ending a decidedly unexpected two-year term as their ace. What's he due in free agency?

MLB Free Agents 2013: Every qualifying offer was rejected Friday. Why?

In its first year as MLB offseason policy, every would-be free agent rejected his old team's qualifying offer. Why'd that happen?

Kyle Lohse declines qualifying offer from Cardinals, now a free agent

The 34-year-old right hander is seeking the stability of a multi-year deal, a commitment the Cardinals appear unwilling to make.

MLB free agents 2013: Anibal Sanchez contract rumors suggest Kyle Lohse might be a bargain

Kyle Lohse has been an offseason punching bag, but Anibal Sanchez's recent contract demands suggest he might not be as overpriced as we thought.

MLB free agents 2013: Kyle Lohse among the worst bets on the pitching market, apparently

Kyle Lohse has become a bit of a punchline early in the 2013 MLB free agency season, thanks to the draft pick he'll require and the years he apparently wants.

MLB Free Agents 2012: Kyle Lohse among a small qualifying offer crop in Year 1

The new qualifying offer system is much simpler than its predecessors, but it was used nearly as sparingly in year one of the MLB free agency season's new system. The St. Louis Cardinals were one of just seven teams to make a qualifying offer of one year and $13.3 million to an impending free agent—to Kyle Lohse, in their case—and the players involved suggest teams are playing this new rule very conservatively, at least for now. (... Except for the New York Yankees, who used it three times.)

The complete list, via MLBTR, starting with the mess of offers in the AL East: The Yankees used it on Nick Swisher, who won't accept, and Rafael Soriano and Hiroki Kuroda, who just might; the Boston Red Sox offered the deal to David Ortiz, and later roughly doubled it for his new contract; and the Tampa Bay Rays announced their intent to collect the draft pick for B.J. Upton.

Outside that division, the Atlanta Braves offered it to Michael Bourn; the Texas Rangers to Josh Hamilton; and the Washington Nationals to Adam LaRoche. Of those three, LaRoche is the only one who could possibly take the deal; everybody else will be costing their new team a first-round draft pick in free agency.

Thus ends, at least for now, the qualifying offer saga of 2012. I look forward to trying to remember what it means again next year, when we'll have a higher number for that one-year deal.

MLB free agents 2013: What's a qualifying offer, and who gets one?

A look at the new MLB CBA's qualifying offer system, and how it affects 2013 free agents like the St. Louis Cardinals' Kyle Lohse.

Kyle Lohse qualifying offer means little unless MLB free agency market dries up

The St. Louis Cardinals made Kyle Lohse the qualifying offer of one year, $13 million on Friday, but unless the MLB rumor mill dries up he'll command much more than that in free agency.

Cardinals make qualifying offer to Kyle Lohse

The Cardinals have extended a $13.3 million qualifying offer to right hander Kyle Lohse, according to a report.

Kyle Lohse rumors: St. Louis Cardinals will net draft pick with $13 million qualifying offer

The St. Louis Cardinals will almost certainly make a qualifying offer to Kyle Lohse, netting a draft pick when he almost certainly doesn't agree to it.

Kyle Lohse rumors: Mark Buehrle, Esteban Loaiza among contract comps

Kyle Lohse's situation mirrors that of pitchers Mark Buehrle and Esteban Loaiza, and he could be getting a contract similar to those two players this offseason.

Kyle Lohse rumors have $70 million contract in the offing for unlikely Cardinals ace

The St. Louis Cardinals probably won't resign Kyle Lohse—but MLB rumors suggest he could get $70 million in free agency.