The salary cap stands in the way of receiving transfer fees. Signing a full roster for under $3 million means you often won't have the cash to pay an improving player what he's worth. A guy with a bright future is likely to refuse your cap-limited extension offer because you don't have any room to negotiate. You can't blame individual clubs for failing to extend when their hands are tied. This cap structure means that transfer fees are going to be a peripheral part of the business model. You're just not going to see them very often. Get used to it.
Is a joke better than no joke? I mean, KC could have paid him more and made it easier to receive something out of him leaving. Now, they'll more likely than not receive zilch. They're either too rich to care about losing $1M or too poor to offer him $300K-$400K? Which is it? And, just because a guy ended up having a career year as his contract was expiring doesn't mean that KC was boxed out of options. This sort of stuff happens in other pro leagues all the time. It stands in the way of paying players their market value but, since the cap is a knowable variable, one could hedge the bets prior to being faced with a no-choice scenario. BTW, the transfer fees actually help ease the cap restrictions because they increase the allocations given to a club by the MLS HQ.
That's assuming they didn't before the season and Besler turned them down at the time waiting to see how his season went.
Well, he obviously turned down what they were offering. The problem is that we don't know what it was. I assume it wasn't a sneakers contract and Beckham's villa.
"Hedge the bets" how? Are you saying you've thought of an angle that MLS clubs have overlooked? That's not much help when the cap inhibits your ability to receive transfer fees in the first place.
How much of an upgrade? I think a guy like this looks around and sees the average rate in places like Denmark to be $250K-$350K and as high as $500K-$700K in Germany II. If KC was offering $150K/Y on a 5-year contract without a reasonable buyout, I would have passed on it as well. I wouldn't say "overlooked". Dallas extended Shea, DCU Pontius. The rest depends on valuations, age and ambitions. Once again, cap only restricts the on-the-book/aka non-DP salaries. It has no influence on the transfer price per se.
And it depends on the cap. If you've got a whole lot of good prospects on the roster the cap will prevent you from giving all of them the kind of deal that Shea and Pontius got. How many guys can you afford to give a raise when the whole roster has come in under $3 mil? You can only afford a meaningful raise for one or two guys, at best. The cap restricts your ability to keep a prospect under contract long enough to get a transfer fee in return for him. Very few prospects will get a DP deal. Almost all must fit under the cap. The kid will be able to command more money as his skills improve but you can't afford to offer it because of the cap. Therefore, he's not interested in your paltry extension offer and lets his contract expire. You lose the chance to get transfer fees when you're not able to keep paying a prospect what he's worth. The cap is the barrier that prevents you from keeping him thus preventing you from getting a fee.
While Besler has played extremely well before this season, had he proven he was worth 250K+ before his play this year? I really don't think so.
I honestly could care less about what you just wrote... but you get rep and mad props for the profile name!
Good college players get stuck between a rock and a hard place. They come out a little late because their development in youth USA system isn't the best, so they are 22, say, and they have to choose between a contract in MLS or going to Europe where it is likely they will need to develop skills before emerging. So they take the MLS contract but if they prove out they are suddenly 25 and going to Europe on an adventure isn't so attractive anymore. I wish the system had our college players going to Europe on loan (with an option to buy) for the year that is currently their first year in MLS. What's the worst that can happen?
Which means foreign interest was judged and deemed low. And he didn't want to run around Europe, trialing everywhere. Hedging bets can also mean that a prospect gets none of either. Of course, Besler was an Academic All-American and should have a decent post-playing career.
From reading Twitter, a local KC radio station is saying he has an offer to trial at QPR. Although no idea how he would qualify for a WP. Seltzer said Matt has "appreciable interest from Belgium and England"
Oh lord no. It's too easy to just stay in the MLS, it'd be nice if he tried Europe. Especially if clubs like QPR want him.
It appears both Queens Park Rangers, Birmingham City and a team in Belguim are interested. Here is some actual news, apparently: One team in the EPL, one in the Championship, and a team in Belgium have apparently offered trials to the MLS Defender of the Year. Queens Park Rangers while currently an EPL team are sitting at the foot of the table on 6 points, without a win and currently 7 points clear of safety. They recently hired Harry Redknapp to replace Mark Hughes. Birmingham City, the Championship level side is also struggling, but are better off than QPR. Birmingham is 19th of 24 teams in the English second division, on 24 points, sitting 9 points clear of the relegation zone. The Blues are also the home to US international Jonathan Spector. Both English teams would be quite hard for Besler to get signed by. The article goes on to say that a WP is not as hard to get in Belguim as in the Premiership.
Smart of him not to go to try outs to Championship teams. With two NT's playing next summer he will have much better choices.
Gooch got to Belgium after already being on the books of Metz. He was also a raw kid then. Matt's 25.
I'd be interested to see if the MLS defender of the year can get a WP. Rules say no, but they've also been relaxed on Americans the last few years. It'd have to be on appeal, but if the difference between he and Cameron is four NT caps, which is all Cameron had when getting his WP I believe, and Besler is great success in the same league Cameron came from and won DPOY, wonder if it could happen. Does MLS carry that respect level?
KC is Besler's hometown club and it's probably become a lot more fun to play for them over the last few years. I don't think it's out of the question that he simply decided that he likes it there.
If the pay proposals were within a ballpark, he took the closest to home. And also avoided the risks and the hustles of trialing, as I mentioned. (MLS can also be very forceful when negotiating - "take this offer now or you'll be playing in the Albanian 3rd Division for a roll of change" ... some kids will accept it, others like Clint D., will respond with the finger and a grimace) "Don't be bringing that weak sauce into my house"
Yes, I pretty much agree with this. If he was 21, I think things would be different. Best wishes, Matt!