With one move today, Paul Mariner has made it clear that he has yet to give up on 2012.
The Reds looked to Canadian rival Vancouver for help in replacing injured Danny Koevermans and brought in Designated Player Eric Hassli. Toronto doesn’t give up anything from its current roster, but the price might still be high – the 2014 first round Superdraft pick is now in Vancouver’s hands.
The Frenchman struggled to live up to his DP label in B.C. and was recently made replaceable by the addition of Kenny Miller. It’s the third popular Whitecaps player to leave the club in the last two weeks.
There was a certain logic to the move for both clubs, but many felt the rivalry between them would mean that it wouldn’t happen. However, it’s not the first time the clubs have worked together – Terry Dunfield was traded to Toronto midway through last year and Nathan Sturgis was flipped to the Reds after the Caps took him in the Expansion Draft.
So, by now it should come as no surprise that the two clubs would work together.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Toronto will use the long-term injury rule to find the roster space for Hassli. That creates a potential problem when the Koevermans returns if, as rumoured, they use a DP slot to acquire a defender.
However, this move may mean that the rumoured deal to bring Olof Mellberg has fallen through. There are suggestions in the UK that he is about to sign a deal with Everton. Additionally, the use of the first round pick could mean that the chance to bring Carlos Bocanegra in is gone. With New England holding the first rights to him, it had been suggested that the Revs would require a first round pick to bypass him as an allocation pick-up. Would Toronto give up first rounders two years in a row?
Toronto fans desperate to see defensive help might need to wait a little longer.
Regardless, the move is a clear indication that the club does not want to mail the rest of the season in. With Hassli potentially a rental, and TFC's poor history, meaning that Toronto has given up a shot at a potential high slot in the draft. There will be plenty of pressure on Mariner to improve the club's fortunes - although that was always the case.
Is it a good pick-up?
That’s hard to say. Hassli has been streaky while in MLS and is not on good form this year with just two goals. When he was signed by the Whitecaps last year, I wrote in this space that he was a risk as a DP and his 12 goals in 44 games would seem to back that position up. He only has four more goals than forner Reds' striker Chad Barrett in the same timeframe.
Hassli will need to drastically improve his scoring rate if TFC is to bring him back as a DP, something that was alluded to in the press release announcing the trade. The Reds said he would be “considered” as a DP moving forward. Essentially he’s on a half-season trial.
From a Toronto perspective this addition has more in common with the Mista move of 2010 than it does with bringing in Koevermans last year – a short-term financial risk with fingers crossed it will be more.
It’s also some insurance if Koevermans recovery takes longer than expected, or if the injury was career ending – the great unspoken when talking about a player on the wrong side of 30.
Mariner is known for having a good handle on NCAA talent, so one might deduct that he’s concluded that the 2014 draft class will be weak. Toronto fans will be hoping that he’s right.
On the west coast the hope will be different – another piece of intrigue in the TFC v Whitecaps rivalry.