Portland Timbers Offseason To-Do List: Part 2

In the 2nd part of the 3-part series, we look at possible departures and positions of need.

Now it’s time to look at the players who are still under contract next season. Here’s the chart again.

Out of these players, there are three who will be/should be on the transfer list. Let’s take a look at them and why they should be on the way out.

2. Transfer-List

Yimmi Chara

No Timbers player had a more disappointing 2023 than Yimmi Chara. Last season he played every game and led the team in minutes. Despite getting so much playing time, he only tallied 4g/3a in 2,778 minutes. That averages out to 1 goal contribution every 397 minutes, or 1 goal contribution every 4 ½ games. All of that playing time obviously took a toll on him, as he missed 17 games with 2 separate hamstring injuries and a thigh injury in 2023. He’s currently occupying a DP tag and is the biggest example of wasted salary on the team. He has one year left on his contract so this is a no-brainer move to put him on the transfer list. 

Aljaz Ivacic

How much do I really need to say here? Read this.

Dario Zuparic

After the season ended, Zuparic requested a trade. The wide reaction from the fanbase was disappointment and sadness. However, I think Zuparic’s trade request is a good thing. It is worth noting that Zuparic is represented by Denis Selimovic of Rabona Sports. You might recognize him as Santiago Moreno’s former agent and Aljaz Ivacic’s current agent. Zuparic waited for the season to end to request a trade, so I can’t really be too upset with him. His stat graph isn’t too pretty, and he definitely is a better player than those numbers illustrate. So why do I think it’s a good thing that he requested a trade? First of all, I don’t think he’s going to get traded. There are 2 years left on his contract and I think that any departure would come in the 2024 offseason, not this one. However, it is worth putting out some feelers for some offers. He’s 31 years old, and he’s one of the highest paid players at the club. This club has a habit of holding onto aging players for too long, and any Zuparic trade would be a departure from this norm. Unless a really juicy offer comes in, I doubt the club would accept. But it is worth putting him on the transfer list just to see if a team bites. Especially if he requested it. 

3. Extensions

Zac McGraw

Pay him. Read this. 

The U22 Situation

With the addition of Antony in the summer transfer window, the Timbers now have 4 U22 Initiative players on the roster. Santiago Moreno, David Ayala, Juan David Mosquera, and Antony are occupying those slots, with Antony being eligible due to Ayala’s season-ending injury. You can only roster 3 at one time, as Atlanta found out last season when they had to loan Franco Ibarra to Toronto in the summer. So what can the Timbers do to keep all four players on the roster next season? Let’s take a look at the MLS rulebook:

Santiago Moreno has been on the team for two seasons, which is the minimum slot occupation length. I also don’t believe that he’s happy with his contract. Those extension talks should continue in the offseason, and he might get his wish. Either way, a contract extension isn’t enough to remove him from the U22 tag. I don’t think the club is going to make him a Designated Player either, so I would imagine that they would use Targeted Allocation Money to remove him from the slot. That’s the most likely solution I can think of. 

The Midfield Situation

Here are the current central midfielders currently under contract. I’ve listed their best positions alongside them.

Diego Chara, 6

David Ayala, 6

Evander, 8/10

Cristhian Paredes, 8/6

Eryk Williamson, 8

Bryan Acosta, 6/8

Noel Caliskan, 8

Santiago Moreno, 8

Let’s take a moment to acknowledge how bad the injury situation was last season. Ayala and Williamson were both lost in the early months but should be ready for preseason. Bryan Acosta was brought in as depth, and ended up being a key part of the late season charge under Miles Joseph after Diego Chara’s appendectomy. Evander began the season as a 10, then became a second striker, and finally found himself back at the position where he played in Denmark. Paredes won Supporter’s Player of the Year after an excellent season playing both the 8 and the 6. Noel Caliskan earned some starts and showed promise. Santiago Moreno was signed as a winger but was a revelation in the midfield during the stretch run. Now the Timbers have 8 players to fit into 3 midfield slots. There’s going to need to be a couple tough decisions made this offseason, and the chief priority before bringing in new players is figuring out what to do about the midfield. If I was to make a depth chart for the midfield three, here’s what I would come up with:

This was a lot harder for me to make than I thought it would be. But the more I look at it, the more I’m nodding my head. Evander and Diego Chara are the only two locked-in starters here. After the 2-2 draw in Seattle, I tried my best to build a Timbers XI that could make the playoffs. A key part of that XI was Santiago Moreno as an 8. Here’s an excerpt of my thoughts on him in the midfield:

I’m entering this upcoming season seeing Santiago Moreno as an 8 who is also really good on the right wing. The odd men out in that midfield depth chart are Acosta and Caliskan. Caliskan should play in as many T2 games as possible next season, while Acosta is out of contract. But there’s another question mark in the midfield depth chart.

Eryk Williamson

Sebastian Blanco’s contract situation has stolen a lot of the headlines this offseason, but I don’t think he’s the most crucial contract decision the Timbers need to make. There are two players on the roster table who have question marks next to their name: Williamson and Dairon Asprilla. Both of their contracts expire during this offseason as well. I’m going to get to Asprilla later in this article, but Williamson’s situation is very complicated. He’s in the top half of earners on the team making $625K a year. There is no team or player option in his contract, so he will need to be signed to a new contract during this offseason. You really have to feel for him. Not only did he tear his ACL for the second time in 3 years, but he did it in a contract year. I don’t see the club letting him leave for free, so I think a new contract will be agreed upon. I do think he will take a pay cut in terms of base salary, but should have the option to earn a few bonuses. Either him or Bryan Acosta will not be back in a Timbers uniform next season, and it makes the most sense for Williamson to re-sign for 2 years with an incentive-loaded deal. 

Cristhian Paredes

I take no pleasure in writing this next paragraph, but it needs to be said. Last summer, the Timbers turned down an offer of $2.2M for Paredes from an unnamed Brazilian club. Given his excellent displays for us and the lack of cover in central midfield at the time, it made sense to turn down this bid. But I’m here to play devil’s advocate: if a bid of a similar size or bigger comes in for Paredes in the offseason, should the Timbers accept? Ned Grabavoy stated that the offer in the summer was good for both the club and the player. Paredes is 25 years old and has two years left on his contract. We’ve seen him grow year after year with the Timbers. I’m going to recommend the following: if it’s an offer under $3M from South America, the Timbers should decline. However, if the offer is $2M or above from Europe, the Timbers should accept. MLS is in an interesting spot in terms of other soccer leagues. It’s both a destination for older players and a development league for younger players. The Timbers have done a lot of work in the South American transfer market to bring in high-potential young players, but none of them have been sold on to Europe yet. Moves to Europe could be in the future for players like Santiago Moreno, David Ayala, and Juan Mosquera, but in order to keep a good South American talent pipeline to Portland the club needs to start selling to Europe. Paredes would be a good player to start with. It’s a very controversial suggestion to suggest selling the reigning Supporter’s Player of the Year with 2 years left on his contract. But in order to keep the club on a good trajectory and keep our options open in the future, some tough decisions have to be made. To my knowledge, no offers for Paredes have come in besides the one in the summer, so this situation is entirely hypothetical. But I’m dealing with the hypothetical here, because it is a possibility in this crucial offseason. If Paredes was to leave, hypothetically, Bryan Acosta would probably be brought back. The Timbers have already taken a big risk with the Neville hire already this offseason, so there might be more tough decisions to be made before preseason opens up.

Dairon Asprilla

Dairon Asprilla is also out of contract in December. I think he will be re-signed for many reasons. However, he’s 31. I don’t think his play will tail off in this next season, but I don’t think he’ll be re-signed for more than 2 years. He has the versatility to play across the entire front line, and could find himself as a backup striker with Franck Boli’s departure. He’s a useful squad player who is trusted heavily by this coaching staff and has definitely earned another contract. 

4. Identifying Positions of Need

Let’s take a look at the depth chart in order to identify what positions the Timbers need to be targeting in the offseason. 

Key:

EXP: contract expiring

OPT: has a club option

TR: transfer request

TL: transfer listed

LC: left club

*Marvin Loria is still under contract through 2024 with a club option for 2025.*

I’ve already predicted that the Timbers will exercise the options of Miller and Rasmussen. I also believe that Mabiala will depart the club. Blanco and Bingham’s statuses are still up in the air. Williamson and Asprilla will get new contracts. There’s still a lot of possible departures, and the front office needs to prioritize certain positions this offseason. If I was in charge, this is the order of prioritization I would use for the winter window.

1. Goalkeeper

Ivacic has already requested a trade, so this was already going to be a given. Last season, the Timbers allowed 58 goals from an xG conceded of 44.6. That’s a horrific performance, and goalkeeping is the key culprit. I do believe that Bingham will eventually be brought back, but this club needs a new first-choice keeper. With league-average goalkeeping last season, this team is in the playoffs. 

2. DP Attacker

This is the hardest position to figure out. “Attacker” is really vague, but there are serious needs both out wide and up top. Felipe Mora returned from injury and began banging in goals, but there needs to be a proven scorer behind him. Besides the goalkeeper position, the wings were the most disappointing area of the team. There have been rumors about MLS opening up a 4th DP slot, and I think the Timbers would definitely use it. However, those rumors are unconfirmed, so I’m operating under the 3-DP rule. In that case, I would use the third DP slot on a chance-creating and goal-scoring winger. Striker is still a big need, but any new striker could be high-TAM. We need more quality out wide, so we need to commit more money to that area of the pitch. However, if Phil Neville sees Santiago Moreno as more of a winger than a midfielder, I think that the DP spot will be used on a striker. We still need another winger desperately, but it really depends on how Moreno is evaluated by the staff. I expect to see a new striker and a new winger this offseason, but how the roster spots are utilized will completely depend on the technical staff.

3. Center Back

Mabiala is departing the club, and Zuparic has requested a transfer. Even with Mabiala leaving, a center back would rank really high in the priorities list, but a Zuparic departure would put this position at the top of my rankings. I’ve only listed it at 3rd because I don’t believe Zuparic will leave in this offseason, so another good depth piece will be needed. The duo of Zuparic and McGraw (fondly referred to as ZZ Stop) was excellent last season despite the Timbers’ poor defensive record. Miguel Araujo hasn’t impressed in his limited game time, but I’m willing to give him a full offseason and preseason before I make a full judgement on him. Either way, there need to be more bodies in this position. 

This is all I have for Part 2 of the offseason checklist. Part 3 will take a look at some players we should be targeting to fill the needs on the roster. MLS teams need to submit their end-of-year roster decisions by this Friday, so there will be some news to look forward to (or dread) this week. As always, RCTID, and I will see y’all later with a list of transfer targets.