Good read, but what I'd really like to know is how the Cardinals and Brewers didn't manage to keep the Cubs from getting him. Couldn't they have blocked it by claiming him and then failing to make a deal? Maybe it's more complicated than that?
As JR says, if they claim him and Washington won't make a deal, they just can stick them with his contract. However, I think it would have been a worthwhile price for either team to pay.