2025 Roster and Transfer Discussion Thread

My bet is that the team waits to see how we do in the first few games before making any big moves. Unless we get off to a terrible start they are going to try to wait to the second window to make any big signings. Lee doesn't like to move fast, unless the results force his hand he will take his time.
 
David Lee did say they were looking to make moves in this window. I don't know if we have the players to cover half a season without a 10 besides Maxi and a 6 besides Haak.
 
2 signings in one day. Someone check David Lee’s pulse!

I called him over to check but I'm still waiting for him to show up.

Snail GIF by MotoGP™
 
Last year Martinez scored 0.92 G/Gm and had 0.53 xG.Gm (ASA - the FBref numbers both a bit higher). He played ~1400 minutes, which is not a big sample as player stats go.

His G/90 was second in MLS to Messi for players with 1k minutes. xG/90 was 15th. His G-xG/90 was also second to Messi. Messi has proven he can exceed his xG regularly, but he's unique. Still, if Martinez reverts to finishing at level, he's still a goal-every-other-game player and top15-20 MLS scorer if he just maintains his xG. If he continues near his 2024 pace and at 2500-3000 minutes, he's a First 11 MLS talent.

Martinez is signed through this 2025 season with options for 2026 and 2027. He is 26 years old. He makes about $330k. Unless he disappoints in 2025, something will happen before this time next year to raise his salary considerably. Simply exercising the club option at the negotiated rate seems unlikely. He either gets sold or extends with a big raise, maybe even DP level.

Dilemma and question: should David Lee keep a DP spot open through all of 2025 in case Martinez goes off again and demands a raise by at least an order of magnitude?

Terms: Assume the Jovan and Talles loan gets bought out this summer and Lee has 2 DP spots open (Santi and Talles). Don't cheat the hypothetical by saying Lee won't fill all the DP slots anyway. Even if it's probably true that's a boring answer. And assume at midsummer Martinez is playing well, says he is potentially open to staying here as long as he gets paid, but refuses to renegotiate his deal until year end.

ETA: Under the new model NYC might have just 2 DP slots and 4 U22, see below in thread.
 
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Last year Martinez scored 0.92 G/Gm and had 0.53 xG.Gm (ASA - the FBref numbers both a bit higher). He played ~1400 minutes, which is not a big sample as player stats go.

His G/90 was second in MLS to Messi for players with 1k minutes. xG/90 was 15th. His G-xG/90 was also second to Messi. Messi has proven he can exceed his xG regularly, but he's unique. Still, if Martinez reverts to finishing at level, he's still a goal-every-other-game player and top15-20 MLS scorer if he just maintains his xG. If he continues near his 2024 pace and at 2500-3000 minutes, he's a First 11 MLS talent.

Martinez is signed through this 2025 season with options for 2026 and 2027. He is 26 years old. He makes about $330k. Unless he disappoints in 2025, something will happen before this time next year to raise his salary considerably. Simply exercising the club option at the negotiated rate seems unlikely. He either gets sold or extends with a big raise, maybe even DP level.

Dilemma and question: should David Lee keep a DP spot open through all of 2025 in case Martinez goes off again and demands a raise by at least an order of magnitude?

Terms: Assume the Jovan and Talles loans get bought out this summer and Lee has 2 spots open. Don't cheat the hypothetical by saying Lee won't fill all the DP slots anyway. Even if it's probably true that's a boring answer. And assume at midsummer Martinez is playing well, says he is potentially open to staying here as long as he gets paid, but refuses to renegotiate his deal until year end.

If Martinez has another stellar year, I would hope the club wants to keep him. At 330k, if they double his salary, he's not quite DP salary and I would be ok with that. I'm not sure I would love the idea of using a DP spot on him simply because I think we should use that DP spot at the #10 right now. If we can buy down martins somehow (this has been mentioned many times though I'm not sure on the specifics) then maybe Martinez can be the 2nd DP if he's lighting up the league.

I also think Lee and/or CFG want to maximize the U-22 initiative, so I think they would be happy to have two DPs so they can sign 4 U-22s.

so i guess my answer is, imo lee needs to keep the DP spot open for a #10.
 
If Martinez has another stellar year, I would hope the club wants to keep him. At 330k, if they double his salary, he's not quite DP salary and I would be ok with that. I'm not sure I would love the idea of using a DP spot on him simply because I think we should use that DP spot at the #10 right now. If we can buy down martins somehow (this has been mentioned many times though I'm not sure on the specifics) then maybe Martinez can be the 2nd DP if he's lighting up the league.

I also think Lee and/or CFG want to maximize the U-22 initiative, so I think they would be happy to have two DPs so they can sign 4 U-22s.

so i guess my answer is, imo lee needs to keep the DP spot open for a #10.
If he scores 0.70 G/90 (between his G and xG last year) over 2500 minutes he's scoring about 20 goals and $600-700k will not come close to what he deserves. That level production might exceed TAM even. Someone will offer him much more and he'll demand a transfer

Also, the hypo stipulates that 2 slots are open this summer because Talles and Jovan are sold. There's no need to buy down Martins and you could both get a 10 in July and still have a slot left potentially for Martinez at year end. Or use it in the summer for another need and maybe have to transfer Martinez.
 
If Martinez has another stellar year, I would hope the club wants to keep him. At 330k, if they double his salary, he's not quite DP salary and I would be ok with that. I'm not sure I would love the idea of using a DP spot on him simply because I think we should use that DP spot at the #10 right now. If we can buy down martins somehow (this has been mentioned many times though I'm not sure on the specifics) then maybe Martinez can be the 2nd DP if he's lighting up the league.

I also think Lee and/or CFG want to maximize the U-22 initiative, so I think they would be happy to have two DPs so they can sign 4 U-22s.

so i guess my answer is, imo lee needs to keep the DP spot open for a #10.

I agree with you that they likely would prefer 2 DPs and 2 U22s but when you frame it that way it makes things feel especially dire. So far they like to use the U22 spots on high-potential but very raw players. Combine that with the fact that we used 1 of our 2 DP spots on a CB and we really only have one unlimited spend spot on the roster to get a proven difference-maker.
 
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