:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8230283/20120619_kkt_sx9_939.0.jpg)
Adam LaRoche got what he wanted this off-season. The free agent first baseman hoped to work out a deal that would keep him with the Washington Nationals and on January 8th, the two sides worked out a two year/$24M deal with an option for 2015. Even though things worked out fairly well for him, LaRoche felt the draft pick compensation rules of the new CBA severely hindered his ability to land a deal. He lashed out against the system while speaking with Amanda Comak of the Washington Times-
"I think [something] needs to be done. And not just for me, I think there were four or five of us who were really affected this year. And in the future, I think you're going to have that scenario every year. So I think they're going to have to do something about it."
LaRoche told Comack that teams would regularly tell his agent that they would be interested in him if they did not have to surrender a draft pick. LaRoche looked to be a strong option for the teams like the Red Sox, Orioles, and Rangers, but only the Red Sox were consistently rumored to be in contact with his agent and that was only after medical concerns stalled their deal with Mike Napoli. LaRoche hit .271/.343/.510 with the Nationals last season and his 127 weighted Runs Created Plus was the better than any free agent first basemen except Nick Swisher.  Despite a mutual desire to work out an new contract, negotiations between LaRoche and the Nationals took a long time.
LaRoche believes that the union did not expect the qualifying offer to hurt free agents like him so much-
"I don't know if that was in the agreement that they overlooked and didn't realize that it could backfire the way it did, or if they were just willing to take that risk. But in talking to the union a little bit, I think they would love to take that back."
Regardless of his issues with the free agency rules, LaRoche is happy to be back in Washington-
"I got to where I wanted to go. I wanted to be back here and we worked it out, but the draft pick did not help things."
