Hmmmm.... my list made with absolutely no research or forethought: Dos Santos Zardes Rogers Van Damme Steres AJDLG Romney Boateng Lletget Rowe Donovan (if he hints to management he'll come back) or Husidic (if Donovan says no thank you)
Gonna leave this thread open for discussion of the expansion draft, but all discussion of next season's roster should migrate over to the 2017 thread. Time to move our eternal optimism to next year!
My list: Rowe Van Damme AJDLG (too useful to let go) Steres Rogers LD Lletget Dos Santos Boateng Zardes (if he needs to be) Number 11 I'm torn on...another back? Baggio? Mediola? We have more room if Zardes doesn't need to be protected and Landon doesn't come back (not preferred). I think Keane is gone.
No need to protect Landon. No one is going to take him because he wont play elsewhere. I am of two minds on this. Do you really think LD would play for an expansion club in ATL or Minny? I don't. And I think they would know that and therefore not waste a pick on him. If that thinking is right, there is no reason to put him on the protected list, is there? Use that slot for a Mendiola or Husidic or BJ4 depending on how the coaches rate them.
I don't think Zardes counts as Homegrown any more after a certain number of years. Correct me if I am wrong somebody but I think this is his last year of that.
I wouldn't risk it. Especially if MN hires Sigi. It would not surprise me if he would take LD in a repeat of the Jessie Marsch/Brian Ching fiasco. How many dudes would Bruce give up to get LD back to LA?
That sprung to my mind as well, but I think it’s a bit different. I don’t know that Landon has decided to come back*, but I have no doubt he’d retire again, contentedly if he was picked by one of the expansion clubs. During the Ching/Montreal thing it was always pretty clear Brian wanted one more year. * I’m betting on yes, certain things he’s said/done over the past few weeks seem to hint he’s up for it if the circumstances are right.
Could LA conceivably sign LD after the expansion draft in December thereby bypassing this issue altogether?
There is no year requirement. He will continue to remain homegrown in perpetuity, even if we trade him. The difference is that Homegrown players on the senior roster (slots 1 through 20) are not automatically protected and Homegrown players on the supplemental or reserve rosters (slots 21 through 28) are automatically protected. So it comes to whether we found a way to have him remain on the supplemental roster on his new contract. If we hadn't used TAM on him, then it would be an absolute yes, he's still on the supplemental roster, but I'm not sure if we're allowed to do that. However, if he's not on the supplemental roster, we've got quite a bit of HG money we didn't use at all this year as no other HG player is making above min or reserve min. We'll find out when the expansion draft is announced, though. My guess it that we've been able to keep him supplemental and he'll be automatically protected.
It's possible that a team could take a flyer in hopes that LD would force a trade back to LA if he wants to continue playing.
It's possible that a team could take a flyer in hopes that LD would force a trade back to LA if he wants to continue playing.
LD should be a free agent (provided there isn't an option year on LD's contract). So even if he's selected by one of the teams in the expansion draft, he could simply turn down their contract offer and sign with us. He would, however, be limited to a 15% raise as he would as a normal free agent signing for a new team. From the 2016 Expansion Draft Rules: If an Out of Contract Free Agent is selected in the Expansion Draft and subsequently signs with his previous Club via Free Agency, he will be subject to the compensation limitation for Out of Contract Players signing with a new Club, as provided in the CBA. However, there is clause in the CBA which is called the "Outperformance Mechanism" that basically says the league can allow a free agent a bigger raise than the CBA normally outlines if that free agent meets one of the following criteria: (i) Whether the Player earned Team or League awards he had not previously earned during his contract/career (e.g. Player became All-League in the final year of his contract but was not All-League previously during his contract/career); (ii) Significant increase in objective performance metrics (goals scored, etc.) during his contract; (iii) Significant increase in appearances for Player’s national team during his contract; (iv) The length of time the Player has performed at a significantly and materially higher level than that accounted for in his current contract; and (v) Reasonable expected future performance. Basically it's a safeguard the league put in to allow them to make exceptions for free agent players that would otherwise leave the league if limited to a certain raise but would stay if a larger raise was given, provided that MLS felt that allowing that raise was in the best interests of the league. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Landon get some of that treatment via the 5th criteria.
Honestly if it turned out you were Don Garber or Bruce Arena it wouldn’t surprise me. When Bruce retires the Galaxy should hire you because I don’t think anyone understands the insane rules of MLS better than you.
All the stuff I know is laid out there for anyone to find. It sometimes takes some connecting of dots and occasionally some extrapolation but it really helps that the entire CBA is available online. I didn't know about the Outperformance Mechanism until today when I was looking at the CBA while confirming rules about Free Agent players. There are some dark corners of MLS that we don't know about it but MLS has been doing a lot better in recent years of providing more (selective) transparency. I'm pretty sure I was a lawyer in another life, though.
I don't know. LD this year was a marginal player for us at best and I don't see him wanting to move - even for Sigi. I see him retiring in that scenario - and that really would not be a big blow to a remodeled LAG anyway. Moreover, I think he will make his intent to retire if drafted pretty clear to ATL and MN before they select him, so that they don't waste a pick.
Landon is good friends with the Minnesota organization, Buzz Logins (is it?) Anyway, he played with Manny. He was at their "opening." I wouldn't risk it. Edit: I think it's Lagos. But yeah, Cadaver is probably right.
I don't think he gets DP status. The LD that is, is not the LD that was. If LAG is aiming at getting younger, he is a luxury and those precious DP slots need to be used on bigger needs.
My guess is that he's a TAM player. I think his role could be that of a super sub/spot starter. I could also see the Galaxy giving him "special treatment" (Beckham treatment so to speak) next season. Perhaps he skips some road matches, or something along that wavelength. I don't think he'll be captain, but probably a clubhouse leader, lead by example type of guy.
And that would be fine with me. I think fine with him too. Money wasn't a sticking point this year for him.
Not saying this applies to Landon, and I can see him being a clubhouse leader, but as a general rule, I have a hard time seeing a "special treatment" guy (e.g. the one that skips the long road trips, games in Houston, Orlando, Dallas or on astroturf), being a lead by example guy. This is especially true if he is on a relatively big salary to the rest of team. This screams Prima Donna to me.
Zardes is on the senior roster. Quoting the 2016 MLS Player Rules and Regulations: Homegrown Player(s) on either the Supplemental Roster or the Reserve Roster may earn (including achievable bonuses) in aggregate each year up to $125,000 above the Reserve Minimum Salary ($51,500 in 2016) or the Senior Minimum Salary ($62,500 in 2016). Zardes made $472,500 in 2016, minus the Senior Minimum Salary of $62,500, equals $410k which is clearly much more than the $125k that the rules allow for a HG player to be above on either the Supplement or Reserve Rosters. Therefore, Zardes cannot be on the Supplemental or Reserve Rosters and thus is on the Senior Roster. (I may be wrong but that's how I read it to mean).