As New York Yankees fans learned in a harsh manner this offseason, Major League Baseball's rules that restrict the league's top spenders are officially getting out of hand. For example, the Yankees lost Juan Soto after trying to re-sign him, but still also lost their compensation draft pick they received when he departed because they signed Max Fried. They didn't have a first-round pick due to payroll penalties.
There's definitely some level of understanding that teams without the financial advantage of the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets and Phillies should gain a bit of an edge elsewhere, but how does swapping out one free agent for another result in a future disadvantage?