United’s roster soon may be looking very different

If there’s a favorite player on your favorite MLS team, don’t blink because as of Monday he may be your favorite player on some other MLS team.

The MLS Cup is Sunday. Monday, the MLS trade window opens. Wednesday, the trade window closes. The league doesn’t waste time.

It seems probable that Atlanta United will trade at least one player. Darlington Nagbe had an unknown issue with the team during the preseason. He has one year remaining on his contract. President Darren Eales and Vice President Carlos Bocanegra are too smart to let Nagbe, arguably the best possession midfielder in MLS, to play out his contract with the team getting nothing — other than three trophies with the chance at more next season — in return.

Hector Villalba’s playing time diminished to 20 appearances, with just 10 starts, last season — due to injuries sustained by him; depth; and manager Frank de Boer’s predilection for different players. Villalba scored one goal with four assists and has a salary of roughly $830,000.

Of course, with the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations between the MLS Players Association and the league, it’s going to be interesting to see how trades can be ratified, particularly if things like Targeted Allocation Money and General Allocation Money are exchanged. Players participating in the negotiations have said they want the “buckets” of money used in MLS to be eliminated and replaced by a single pot from which clubs can spend however they choose. Officials with MLS and its clubs aren’t allowed to discuss the ongoing negotiations. A question has been sent to the MLSPA asking how, or if, trades can be ratified if things like Allocation Money are part of agreements.

And then there are these two key cases: Julian Gressel and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez. They are key because, like Nagbe, they each have one year remaining on their contracts.

The differences between

Gressel and Gonzalez Pirez and Nagbe are threefold. First: Gressel is 25, and Gonzalez-Pirez is 27. They are slightly younger than Nagbe, who is 29.

Second, Gressel made just $133,000 last season while producing six goals and 12 assists. That’s a great return. While Gonzalez Pirez didn’t play as well at centerback this season as the previous two seasons, he is still one of the better centerbacks in the league. They are hard to find. His salary in 2019 is $810,000. That’s a return that’s a bit more difficult to gauge, but there is a growing trend to pay quality centerbacks more. The Red Bulls, Minnesota and LAFC are among the clubs that set the bar.

Third, both players are internationals but have green cards, so they don’t count against roster restrictions used by the league.

So, if you are Atlanta United, do you pay for what the players did — which is common in the other leagues in North America — or do you pay for what they are going to do?

CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM Atlanta United likely will trade at least one player. Darlington Nagbe had an unknown issue with the team in preseason. A year is left on his contract.