Kyle Lohse rumors: Free agent to sign 'soon'

Free agent right-hander Kyle Lohse "is almost certain to sign with a team soon," according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. While Lohse has been tied to multiple teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels, it remains unclear where the veteran starter will ultimately land.

Rosenthal offers no speculation on where Lohse could sign, as he only mentions that the right-hander is almost certain to be snatched up soon.

Lohse seemed poised for a big pay day this offseason, as he was coming off a career-year. He started 33 games for the St. Louis Cardinals, maintaining an ERA of 2.86 and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.76 over 211 innings.

However, a market for Lohse has failed to develop. It appears that the biggest factor working against him is his tie to draft pick compensation. He's also a Scott Boras client and entered the offseason reportedly seeking a lucrative multi-year contract.

The Red Sox and Brewers have said they aren't interested in pursuing Lohse. Boras has attempted to sell the Angels on his client, but Los Angeles doesn't appear to be biting either.

Lohse has been connected to the Nationals and Cardinals as contingency plans for Gio Gonzalez and Chris Carpenter. Gonzalez could potentially face suspension for his connection to Biogenesis, while Carpenter is expected to miss the entire 2013 season due to injury.

Still, the Nationals appear willing to wait out the Gio situation, and general manager Mike Rizzo has said the Biogenesis report isn't causing the team to seek out a replacement starter. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are comfortable that their young arms, including Shelby Miller and Trevor Rosenthal, can fill in for Carpenter.

Over 12 seasons in the majors, Lohse owns a career ERA of 4.45. However, the 34-year-old has posted a mark of 3.11 with a 3.18 strikeout-to-walk ratio over the past two seasons.