Bobby Convey traded to New York Red Bulls for draft picks

Toronto FC continues to be active early in the offseason as their latest move has been to trade Bobby Convey to the New York Red Bulls.  Convey, who had his option declined by the club, was not made available in the first phase of the Re-Entry Draft on Thursday to set up this trade.

In return Toronto FC have gotten themselves back into the first round of the 2014 SuperDraft.  They now control New York's 15th overall selection next month to go along with FC Dallas' second round pick while Toronto have sent their natural second round selection to New York as part of this deal.  New York have also given Toronto their third round pick in the 2016 SuperDraft.

The official release from the club said very little with just one short quote from Tim Bezbatchenko:

"We'd like to thank Bobby for his contributions to Toronto FC and wish him all the best in New York."

Convey was a solid player for Toronto during the 2013 season as he brought some consistency on the wing to go along with all that experience he had.  He managed to make 21 league appearances this past season scoring just one goal but leading the team with four assists.

After the frustration of watching so many tricky wingers struggle to have an impact for Toronto with the most recent example being Hogan Ephraim having Convey out there was a bit of a breath of fresh air.  He was not concerned with tricks or making his man look foolish but was focused on playing quick passes and making his way into an area where he could either take a shot or play in a cross.  His crossing often left something to be desired but it can't be easy to try to pick up just Robert Earnshaw in the box.

He is a player that most TFC fans would have been okay with seeing back in 2014 but it was clear that his contract was going to have to be reworked for that to happen.  His impact on the field was nowhere near enough to justify is hefty pay grade so it was no surprise that TFC decided not to pick up his option year and instead made him a reduced offer.

It seems that Convey was not interested in their offer which probably included him being informed that he would be seeing as much playing time in 2014 with Alvaro Rey, Jackson, and other players likely coming in to compete for time on the wing next year.

When it became clear that Convey was not interested in what Toronto was offering they did the right thing and found a club that was willing to offer Convey what he was looking for.  In the past, a player like Convey would have been lost for nothing and just tossed aside which would cause damage to the club's reputation with veteran players around the league and be very poor asset management.

Dumping players away from nothing when they still have value seems to be a thing of the past though as Bezbatchenko has managed to get a decent return from Stefan Frei and Bobby Convey despite both being out of contract with the club and a short period of time away from being able to leave for nothing.  The club has managed to leverage the interest in them around the league and turn it into some potentially useful draft picks.