The long-rumored trade of Ronnie O’Brien to San Jose has been completed.
Toronto FC has traded the Irish winger to San Jose in exchange for a major allocation and San Jose’s No. 1 draft pick, sources told SBI on Wednesday evening.
The trade is a significant one for both sides as it gives the Earthquakes their first major offensive weapon while Toronto clears salary cap room as well as acquires an allocation valued at approximately $300,000, an allocation it will use to either sign a foreign player or complete another significant trade with.
Then there is the draft pick, which could prove to be a valuable one. Why? The consensus around MLS is that San Jose is going to struggle in 2008, which could make the draft pick as high as No. 2 overall (with the Seattle expansion team picking first). That could help Toronto land Hermann Award winner and Toronto native O’Brian White, who will be one of the most highly-coveted players in the 2009 draft.
Was it too high a price for San Jose to pay? Considering the Earthquakes gave away the No. overall pick in the 2008 draft for Nick Garcia, a marginal veteran defender, they probably think they paid a fair price for Ronnie O’Brien.
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