Houston Dynamo FC trade Tim Parker to St. Louis City SC

Tim Parker was not selected by St. Louis City SC in the 2022 MLS Expansion Draft but he's still headed to The Lou.

Houston Dynamo FC struck a deal with the incoming club for the 2023 season for the veteran MLS defender. St. Louis gets Parker while Houston will receive $500,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM), but the Texas club will also retain a portion of the player's budget salary charge for the remainder of his current contract. 

In theory, both clubs will feel like they gained something but it's all a matter of perspective. It's all about the details so let's dive in:

A veteran in defense

The Houston Dynamo acquired Parker in a trade with the New York Red Bulls on Jan. 19, 2021, for $300,000 in 2021 GAM and $150,000 in 2022 GAM, with additional performance-based incentives. The Red Bulls could also have received up to an additional $600,000 but it's unknown if the conditions and performance metrics were met.

Parker played and started in all 34 MLS matches for the club during the 2021 season and was given the captain's armband by then-head coach Tab Ramos. The eight-year MLS veteran initially served as the team captain under Paulo Nagamura, until the arrival of Designated Player Hector Herrera.

Sidelined a few games early in the season, Parker started in 26 of 28 appearances for a total of 2,252 minutes during the 2022 season. In total, he played 62 MLS matches as a Houston Dynamo and a total of 5,312 minutes over two seasons.

How it benefits both sides

What Houston Dynamo gets:

The Houston Dynamo get rid, at least partially, of a large contract they signed themselves into. Offloading Parker within the league through trade wouldn't be a matter of finding an interested team, it was about finding a team that was willing to take on an overpriced contract for a defender.

That's why St. Louis didn't draft Parker outright but Houston's willingness to negotiate a favorable trade made for a deal. The Dynamo will retain a portion of the player’s budget charge in both 2023 and 2024.

So the Dynamo don't get fully rid of a large salary but they get some of it off the books to clear up some wiggle room. Now they have to find a value CB of their own either in the SuperDraft, in its Academy system or on the open market.

What St. Louis gets:

MLS' latest expansion side gets a veteran defender that can be a dependable leader of the backline — no doubt a big reason why the young club has acquired him and taken on his $1 million yearly salary (helped in part on the salary budget charged by Houston). It's not just his quality on the field that's appealing to an expansion team; it's his experience in the league.

His better matches in Houston featured good performances with key clearances and, if he gets to putting in more of those performances more consistently, he could be a really good player for St. Louis. Part of the reason he did not succeed as much with the Dynamo was due to the players he was paired alongside.

Value is all a matter of perspective. For St. Louis, this is a good pickup to go with a roster that has a mix of young and foreign players.

What Tim Parker gets:

Tim Parker may be the biggest winner out of this. He keeps his contract but moves away from a team with a questionable direction to a fresh start in what could be another thriving expansion market.

Mentally, this has to be a move that gives Parker plenty of renewed motivation as he starts to enter the tail end of his career. On a personal level, too, he goes to a team that will make him feel more valued rather than stay with the club that stripped him of the captain's armband as soon as the Mexican national team star got to town.

What they said

St. Louis City SC Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel (on MLS broadcast)

"Red Bull player, knows exactly what we want from him. National Player, 29 years old, has the experience. He's a role model on and off the field. That's exactly the player we wanted. It's a deal for us, I think, where we can be really happy. A portion of the player's budget charge will be taken care of by Houston in '23 and '24. I think, for us, it's a big player."

Houston Dynamo FC general manager Pat Onstad (via press release)

"We continue to make significant changes this offseason to build a stronger club for the future. The resources acquired in this trade will allow us to build a more competitive roster in 2023 and beyond. Tim played an influential role in our team over the past two seasons and made a positive impact in our community. We wish him well as he starts the next chapter of his career."