Thread by @FireTransfers

If Heitz was fired this offseason, an incoming GM would’ve had, at the least:

-3 open DP spots
-1 U22 initiative
-Medran, Calvo, Luka’s salaries off the books
-an open Head Coach position

#cf97

3 open DP spots:

Gaston was reupped and now is a DP through the end of the 23 season

Shaqiri has been disappointed and his deal runs through the end of the 24 season

Torres has barely played and has a deal through the end of the 25 season

1 U22 initiative:

Still open and I don’t think a new GM would mind having Duran or Fede, but if they sign the third one this window then all three are taken again and Duran’s goes to the end of 24 + 2 club options, Fede through the end of 25 + 1 club option

Medran, Calvo, Luka salaries:

At least for these you can say Mueller and Czichos have been pretty good signings for the price. Przybylko however definitely has not been and now he’s signed through 2025 and wanted stability when he was traded here.

Head coach:

Ezra definitely hasn’t set the world on fire since that run to start the year to say the very least. Whether it be a different domestic option or a foreign option, I wouldn’t be surprised if a new GM wanted to go a different way coaching-wise

This means that if you keep Heitz the rest of the season and fire him right after the last game October 9th, let’s just say you get a new GM in place on Halloween or a little bit before.

Then let’s say that guy then gets a new head coach by Thanksgiving or decides to keep Ezra.

That gives you a week or so in November, all of December, all of January, and depending on MLS’s start date, probably about up to Valentine’s Day before preseason starts, then probably around a month later the season starts.

Sounds like a lot of time but for a team that will need a full teardown most likely, that’s not a lot of time to sell and replace a bunch of players, especially for a GM who’d be in a new scouting system and resources, also have to be working on staff, trades, etc.

My point being, it was so incredibly stupid not to fire Heitz and give the incoming replacement GM a blank canvas last offseason because now a lot of a new GM’s offseason work this year would have to be painting over Heitz’s garbage.

Also a side point I came to while writing this. Imagine if Heitz hadn’t had some of the guys he’s had from the previous regime. Mihailovic, Medran, Frankowski for example are all arguably better players than who Heitz replaced them with. Guys like Pineda, Gaga, Brady, Guti, etc

thank goodness we got them to HG deals because imagine if Heitz had to go find a starting GK, a really good and versatile CM/CDM/CB and a super sub attacking option. We’d probably still have Calvo starting at CB, someone underperforming on ~$1M salary in goal, and another Ivanov

As far as I know, there’s not many people due to come off the books this year. If what’s online is correct then the only contracts expiring after this season ends are Sekulic and Bornstein, which are just straight up end of contracts, Reynolds who has a 2023 club option, and

Omsberg who has 2023 and 2024 club options. This means that there are only 4 players on this roster who a new GM could let go without negotiating a sale, trade or contract buyout, the most expensive one being Sekulic who’s only $600-700K per year, which is okay but the team is

obviously more than just a $600-700K salaried player away from being any good.

The Fire’s contracts situation is generally not good if you’re an incoming GM who sees the team needs an overhaul:

Goalkeepers

Gaga - thru 2023 (although he’ll probably be sold somewhere and loaned back)

Brady - thru 2026, club option for 2027

Richey - thru 2023, club option for 2024

Defenders

Sekulic - thru 2022

Espinoza - thru 2023, club options for 2024 and 2025

Teran - thru 2024, club option for 2025

Burks - thru 2023, club options for 2024 and 2025

Pineda - thru 2023, club option for 2024

Omsberg - thru 2022, club options for 2023 and 2024

Czichos - thru 2024

Bornstein - thru 2022

Reynolds - thru 2022, club option for 2023

Navarro - thru 2024, club option for 2025 (extension given this offseason)

Midfielders

Navarro - thru 2025, club option for 2026

Gimenez - thru 2023 (extension given this offseason)

Rodriguez - thru 2023, club option for 2024

Casas Jr. - thru 2023, club option for 2024

Oregel Jr. - thru 2025, club option for 2026

Herbers - thru 2023, club option for 2024

Attackers

Shaqiri - thru 2024

Torres - thru 2025

Mueller - thru 2025, club option for 2026

Ivanov - thru 2023, club option for 2024

Monis - thru 2023, club option for 2024

Forwards

Przybylko - thru 2025

Duran - thru 2024, club options for 2024 and 2025

Offor - thru 2023, club option for 2024

Bezerra - thru 2024, club option for 2025

Rodriguez - thru 2025, club option for 2026

Justin Reynolds will also be added to the first team for the 2023 season and his contract runs through 2026 with a club option for 2027.

Additionally, I’d bet they probably add at least another HG during the offseason.

I would also not be surprised if at least Omari Glasgow from Fire 2 gets a first team contract at some point for 2023.

That’s an awful lot of contracts without easy outs after the 2022 season. A new GM would have a headache trying to ship guys out in order to get the new guys in that they want.

Also, we’ll see if the Harold Osorio trial that’s due to end on Thursday (my birthday if you wanna get me anything) leads to a deal for either Fire or Fire 2