The A's didn't lose a high-profile free agent for the first time in several years this past offseason, and the result will be a relatively low profile for the club in this year's draft. Thanks to the loss of three "Type A" free agents, for which they were compensated with additional draft picks, the A's had seven of the first 39 selections in 2003. In 2004, they had five of the first 49 picks and six picks before the third round. And in 2005, they had five of the first 101 and six before the cross-bay rival Giants made their first selection at 134. This year, Oakland doesn't even have a first-round pick. The A's had to surrender that slot -- 21st overall -- to the Nationals as compensation for signing free-agent righty Esteban Loaiza. "That was the hardest part of doing this deal," general manager Billy Beane admitted the day Loaiza was introduced to the Bay Area media. "Parting with a draft pick is torture to me."