The List is Life, Part III

So now we move on to the final reckoning. Having decided to protect Doe (#1), Fred (#2), and Martinez (#3) as the three internationals we're forced to shield, let's weed the final 15 players down to 8, shall we . . . ?

• Crayton [OUT] - no way Seattle keeps two $150k+ keepers on their books; if they do take him, we've got draft picks to spare to recover him, particularly given the new roster rules for next year, which (in my opinion) limit the draft's usefulness
  
• Wells [IN, #4] - go ahead, throw tomatoes if you must, but Wells is a solid backup for the money, and don't think for a second that Seattle won't take a hard look at him if he's available; he wasn't so bad at spelling another aging CONCACAF veteran (Onstad, in Houston)
• Carrol, Pat [OUT] - yes, he has potential, but I question whether we would even reward him with a senior contract next year; perhaps we will now that we're going to 20 senior spots, but I'm not sure Seattle will spend one of their 10 expansion picks on a promising defender with little experience and guarantee him a senior contract
• Janicki [IN, #5] - again, I'm not sure we need to protect him, considering his loan status, but he was solid down the stretch given the jump in the level of play and his lack of fitness coming in mid-season; I think he's solid depth at worst, a potential starter at best, and probably won't carry a big cap hit; would Seattle gamble on him? Perhaps not, but of the three players competing for this one protected spot (Carroll, Peralta, Janicki), he's the best value for money at this point
• Peralta [OUT] - well, I think I revealed my hand on this in the discussion of Janicki; Peralta is a decent, big, vocal defender, but for the amount of money we're paying him, he needs to be much better than he was in 2008; might Seattle take him? sure, but I think that's an opportunity to use his salary to buy two solid MLS vets, particularly given the expansion of the senior rosters next year
• Burch [OUT] - let's face it, Burch's second year with us was a bit of a let down; he has potential and works hard, but we have better options on the left, and experiments with him in the center were not promising; I would like to see him back next year as solid depth, but at this point, it's a matter of protecting the most valuable assets
  
• McTavish [OUT] - I know, I know, I'm insane--protect Wells but sacrifice McTavish? He fills a lot of holes, but isn't exactly ideal in any of them; he's also cheap and Seattle will likely gobble him up, but I'm not sure that he's as big a loss as others would be at this point; that said, if we don't have to protect Janicki, McTavish is IN
  
• Namoff [IN, #6] - Sure, McTavish is cheaper, but Namoff is the type of player we need more of in the roster--proven MLS veterans who have a reliable, consistent, tough approach to the game
  
• Kirk [OUT] - We might not even need to protect him, but if we do, it means that he's graduated from Generation Adidas, and his 6-figure salary counts against our cap; I hope he sticks around and we negotiate a lower salary, but at this point, it's not worth protecting him at a $100k cap hit
  
• Guerrero [IN, #7] - see the entry for Namoff above and duplicate
  
• Olsen [OUT] - it pains me to do this, because he's the heart and soul of this team, but I honestly don't think that Seattle will take the risk on a player with a huge catalogue of injuries that might not even be back next season
  
• Quaranta [IN, #8] - relatively cheap, undeniably talented, and can cover a variety of positions; an easy pick if he truly has his life back together and comes in with a laser focus next season
  
• Simms [IN, #9] - He might be heading overseas, but he's also too valuable to expose at this point, unless the FO is shopping for better options; frankly, that might not be a bad idea because I think Clyde has peaked; still, considering the minutes he's put in, his experience, and his low salary, he needs to be protected
  
• Vide [IN, #10] - Again, the questions will come--why Vide over Burch or McTavish? Personally, I think Vide has the highest upside of the three. Also, he fills a position where we're not very deep--particularly if Clyde crosses the pond
  
• Moreno [IN, #11] - He carries a high salary for his age, but he produces, and I think he'll be a valuable, experienced, 30-minute sub next year--something that Seattle might be willing to spend a few dollars to bring in

So that leaves us with the following list of 11 protected players . . .

Doe, Fred, Martinez, Wells, Janicki (McTavish if we don't need to protect Janicki), Namoff, Guerrero, Quaranta, Simms, Vide, Moreno

Even as I stare at it now, I'm waffling on Janicki versus McTavish. Everything else I'm pretty comfortable with, but that one is a bit sticky. Would Seattle gamble on Janicki? Perhaps not. But while Janicki has the potential to be a good centerback, I think that McTavish only provides adequate cover for a number of positions, without excelling in any. Still, it's a tough call. Here's hoping that we don't have to protect loanees, so that we can shelter Devon as well.