Newsletter

TFC Republic Weekly: December 9-15

The MLS half-day trade window opens on Monday and Toronto FC could be active as it looks to trim its roster this off-season.

John Molinaro

Dec 9, 2024 — 5 min read

Welcome to the latest edition of TFC Republic Weekly, an email newsletter that will land in the inbox of both paid subscribers and free members of TFC Republic every Monday.

This newsletter will look at what's in store over the next seven days for Toronto FC and offer a glimpse of what to expect at TFC Republic in the coming days.

So, without further ado...

MLS half-day trade window opens on Monday

The MLS half-day trade window takes place on Monday from 9:00 am to 1:00 p.m. ET. This will be the first chance that Toronto FC and other clubs will have to add to their rosters ahead of the 2025 regular season by making trades with each other following a three-month freeze enforced by the league.

TFC and all MLS teams haven't been able to add any players to their squads since the league's roster freeze date on Sept. 13. At that time, all MLS clubs had to submit their final 30-man roster for the remainder of the 2024 season.

The half-day trade window only applies to making trades with other MLS teams. Clubs can make trades with each other involving players, assets (GAM or TAM, draft picks, international roster spot, etc.), or both.

Teams have to wait until the league's primary transfer window opens in January to sign players from other clubs via transfer deals, whether they're from teams within or outside of MLS.

Currently, 25 TFC players are contractually guaranteed for the 2025 season. MLS rosters are limited to 30 players, so GM Jason Hernandez only has five open roster spots to work with at the moment. He has to start moving players out to pull off the team's "full rebuild" that Keith Pelley, MLSE President & CEO, talked about during October's locker clean out day.

Even if he makes one deal on Monday, it would lighten his work load and relieve some of the pressure that'll be resting on his shoulders next month when the primary transfer window opens.

MLS free agency kicks off on Thursday

MLS free agency officially kicks off on Thursday when teams from across the league will be able to start signing out-of-contract and option-declined players who are at least 24 years old and who have completed a minimum of five years of service in the league.

In recent off-seasons, Toronto FC has dipped its toe into the free agency market by signing goalkeeper Sean Johnson, and defenders Matt Hedges (now with Austin FC) and Shane O'Neill.

And from the sounds of it, TFC will once again be active in the market this off-season as GM Jason Hernandez looks to retool his roster ahead of the 2025 MLS campaign.

"Free agency is something we're going to leverage, for sure… This is still a place where people in MLS feel very fond of and if there's opportunities to club and be a part of the city, people typically listen. So, I think we'll be active in the free agent space," Hernandez said during locker clean out day.

Also this week, the MLS year-end waivers process begins Thursday and the first stage of the MLS re-entry process takes place on Friday.

Important off-season dates to remember

With TFC coming off a disappointing campaign, this off-season is going to be one of the most important in the team's history. Club management will have to make a series of moves in order to improve the roster and set things right for the 2025 MLS campaign. With this in mind, here are some important off-season dates to circle on your calendar.

Dec. 9 is when the MLS half-day trade window (9:00 am to 1:00 p.m. ET) opens up after a three-month freeze. MLS clubs can start tweaking their rosters by making trades with other teams across the league.

Expansion club San Diego FC will become the 30th team in MLS in 2025. But before that, San Diego will get to pick up to five players during the MLS Expansion Draft on Dec. 11. TFC have to determine which players to protect and which ones to leave unprotected.

MLS free agency begins on Dec. 12. Free agency eligible players are out-of-contract and option-declined players who are at least 24 years old and who have completed a minimum of five years of service in MLS. On the same day, the end-of-year waivers process begins. The waiver process pertains to players whose options were not exercised and who are not eligible for free agency or the re-entry process.

The MLS re-entry process kicks off on Dec. 13 with stage 1, while stage 2 is on Dec. 19. Essentially, this applies to MLS players who are out of contract (or had their option declined) but are not eligible for free agency.

The 2025 MLS SuperDraft on Dec. 20 will consist of three rounds.

Stories to look out for at TFC Republic

We will have full-length pieces this week on the ins and outs of MLS free agency and what potential free agents TFC could go after this off-season. Look for those stories to be published in the coming days.

Other stories that will be published later this week include:

My “Random Thoughts on TFC” column.
My feature story on Toronto FC forward Derrick Etienne Jr.
Regular "TFC Tidbits" stories throughout the week.
Pre- and post-coverage of Wednesday's MLS expansion draft.
Pre and post-coverage of stage 1 of the MLS re-entry draft on Thursday.
A new TFC Talk audio interview segment with beat reporter James Grossi.
Part 8 of our "TFC year in review" series looks back at the month of August.
A new instalment in our TFC flashback history series.
Another edition of the reader mailbag.
And much more!

TFC Republic mailbag

TFC Republic features a regular reader mailbag column where I answer questions from subscribers about Toronto FC and Canadian soccer in general.

I'll answer the best questions submitted to me by TFC Republic readers, so feel free to drop me an email at jmo1897@gmail.com. You can also reach out to me via Twitter.

(Top photo courtesy of Andy Truong/Toronto FC)

TFC Republic has a comments section! At the very bottom of every story, there is a feature where you can post your comments, so be sure to share your thoughts and views.