The midfielder was a big addition in the midseason for FC Dallas.
FC Dallas has yet to make their end-of-year roster announcements but one bit of news dropped today that could be part of that news later this week. MLSSoccer.com’s Tom Bogert reports that the club has re-signed midfielder Sebastian Lletget to a new contract.
Sources: FC Dallas, midfielder Sebastian Lletget agree to new, long-term contract. Core FCD players Jesus Ferreira, Alan Velasco, Paul Arriola, Maarten Paes and more all sorted for the future.
Lletget, 30, arrived in a trade from New England over the summer. pic.twitter.com/gZf5JAfaJ7
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) October 31, 2022
This is a good bit of news for a couple of reasons. First, the club wasn’t on the hook for this contract this year as it was likely to approach $1 million in 2023. So restructuring that deal and adding some extra years (his contract was up after 2023) was needed to ensure the salary cap wasn’t completely out of whack in the future.
Secondly, this is another good example of the club doing right by the player and having faith that the quality play in the player will continue going forward. Lletget was a surprise addition in the middle of the season, but as the games went on, he proved a valuable asset for head coach Nico Estevez as the team pushed for a home playoff game. I recall speaking to Lletget after the playoff win over Minnesota about how he liked the crowd, and he marveled at how good the fans have been to him in Frisco.
Lastly, back on that restructuring. I imagine this will be similar to what the team did with Matt Hedges a few years ago. It will be a decent bit of money that keeps him cap-friendly but, over time, pays out very handsomely.
We won’t know the true numbers until next spring when the MLSPA releases its first round of salary numbers for the 2023 season. But we should get a decent idea as to how long the new contract will be for later this week when the club announces their roster moves.
When we surveyed you all last week in our “Play the GM” game, most of you wanted to either exercise his 2023 option or exercise that option but with a new contract.
What do you make of the club re-signing Lletget?