2015 Roster Thread (Part 2)

Hopefully Jermaine's would be worth more than a 4th overall pick. I hope to he!! that it doesn't come to that, though.

 

It will certainly be interesting to see how this whole thing is played. By both sides.

 

I have no confidence at all that Burns will be able to negotiate a new deal. I honestly don't think anyone else does either.......well maybe you

 

I don't think his problem has been negotiating, for the most part. I think it's mostly a failure of scouting.

There have been contract situations, of course, like any organization. But those are generally the result of sticking to team policies, which I think come from much higher up in the KSG organization - things like not renegotiating a contract with >= 2 years remaining, requiring additional years when they do renegotiate, not paying more than their own valuation of a player and being willing to decline an option when they feel it's in their best interest to do so.

I think salary discipline works well for an organization in the long-term and it has for them. There will be some who won't be willing to play by those rules (Larentowicz) and some who won't be happy when they perform better than expected (Goncalves) and those who didn't get the option they felt they deserved (Noonan), but over the long term, I think it's helped them retain a high percentage of the players they've wanted to and manage their salary cap efficiently.

Again, I think the problem is finding sign-able players who will work in our system (and also finding a way to make them work in our system). The Bengtson and Badilla situations, among others, show that we've had real problems in that last aspect IMO.

Getting back to Jones, he fits every definition of what they require in a DP. It seems pretty clear (he's said it a number of times) that Jones would like to come back if he gets a long-enough contract to make it worth moving his family. The only question is what the Revs judge his shelf-life to be at this point. Is the recent mediocre (at best) play a serious downturn, or "saving himself" or just a slow recovery from surgery/rehab?

I don't think the details of a new deal would be hard to reach: 2 years/$3-3.5M total - pretty much the same as the previous deal. With his age/injury history/gate attraction value, I don't think he'd get as much anywhere else.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Bengston was exactly the right type of player to sign (age, lack of injury history, decent club and national team career, salary expectations), even if he didn't work out. Virtually every team on planet Earth has made a few bust signings, and some for a lot more than the $200k or so we paid Bengston. My fear (and so far there's no evidence otherwise) is that they feel burned, and are shying away from going after similar players, which is a huge mistake.

 

I don't think they are shying away, but I think they are probably trying to be extra careful/extra sure (I know, cue the measure 9x ... jokes).

But, we've failed to get extended results from so many foreign players, particularly latin players, that it's easy to see how they might be pretty gunshy.

I think any analysis of why we can't get int'l players needs to include analysis of why we've failed to effectively and lastingly integrate more of those we have found and signed.

 

It's simple - the GM's job (or the front office at large), like any hiring manager, is to ensure players stick around long enough to pay back what they cost to acquire and begin making money for the organization be it merchandise sales, gate sales etc. Having guys like Bengtson, Castillion - int'l players that were paid well, turn into busts, while passing on guys like Caraglio - is unacceptable.

So you don't call me out for being one sided again, Burns's strength is the Academy setup which seems to be attracting talented young players from around the region, which he's able to sign. Heaps is then able to integrate Fagundez and Caldwell into the team - which is great. Unfortunately, this doesn't translate to internationals. The team needs to look into why that's the case and address it so they make smarter decisions.

 

Exactly. The list of impact American strikers is incredibly small. You pretty much have to go international if you want to add scoring. For instance, there's a guy named Andre playing for Sport in Brazil who's made to order for MLS (tall, fast, age 25). If you're not shopping for that type of player, you're not really shopping for difference makers in the current MLS. Even if you want an impact American forward, he's most likely playing overseas (e.g. Bobby Wood, Rubio Rubin).

 

Piatti for Montreal is a good example. Higuain. Martins. Someone of that ilk that can strike fear and do damage in the right situation. Agudelo and Davies are not at that level.

 

The revs should just take the extra step and make Burns part time, pro rate his salary. Not like he works during the windows.

 

I can recall plenty of posts disagreeing with me at the start of the season when I complained about the lack of upgrades to the roster.

 

Here is an article on the Jones contract situation.

The article speculates that he is looking for $3m again which in my mind is beyond nuts. We could get 3 very good Argentine's for that price and transform our team but because of the "must tick all boxes" policy, that can never happen here.

http://nesoccertoday.com/?p=38998

What happens if NE and Jones can't come to a deal? Jones does not qualify for the new Free Agent rules that the latest CBA laid down. Do the Revs then have to trade his rights to another team?

 

I don't know the answer to your question, but I say let Jones go.....he aint as good as he used to be and I know that the locker room wouldn't miss him....

 

preferential treatment

 

Who's your mole?

 

Not that I know anything, but I would suggest the opposite, that players appreciate what he brings to the table, and they respect and listen to him. Do you actually know otherwise, or are you just speculating like anyone else?

I agree, $3m is nuts, considering how he's played this year. It actually makes things easier, because if he had played like last year (and we were 1 or 2, waiting to see who survives the knockout round), it would be a tougher call, and the risk to get locked in to a bad contract 2 years down the road.

And I agree, the Revs would be better off spending the $3m on 3 different $1m players who could really make a difference. OK, we all know that would never happen, so why not spend $1.5m on 3 different $500,000 players who at least would be in the top half of the league?

Oh, and here's another link from the same site about a very familiar topic here: Fall Failure Follows Summer Silence

 

Leaving aside the rest of your comment, the reality is that Jones was a one-off. The Revs have shown time and time again that their ability to attract talent even as good as Goncalves is at best spotty (I would say "borderline incompetent" and still think I was cutting them some slack).

How do you feel about letting Jones go, but with no replacement? Or perhaps a draft pick?

 

Thanks for posting that. Very articulate way to show our FO stands for Failed Opportunists.

 

I'd like to see a Caldwell Herivaux midfield - curious how the kid would do.