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The cost of shedding Dom Dwyer’s contract is the third overall pick, as TFC have traded the MLS veteran and the third overall pick in Tuesday’s MLS SuperDraft to FC Dallas. In return, Toronto FC received $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM).
NEWS | Toronto FC announced today that the club has acquired $50,000 in 2022 General Allocation Money (GAM) from @FCDallas in exchange for forward Dom Dwyer and the natural first-round pick (3rd overall) in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft.#TFCLive
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) January 10, 2022
After acquiring Dwyer from Toronto, FC Dallas bought out his contract, making Dwyer a free agent. According to the MLSPA’s player Salary Guide, Dwyer made $81,375 guaranteed compensation in 2021, the league minimum for veteran players. However, it has been reported by Waking the Red’s Michael Singh that Toronto FC was to pay Dwyer significantly more than the league minimum in 2022. Since the MLS contract details are not published, the value of the contract for 2022 is left up to speculation.
I'm hearing a big reason TFC made this deal is because Dom Dwyer's guaranteed salary next season would have been significantly higher than it was in 2021
— Michael Singh (@MichaelSingh94) January 10, 2022
The 31-year-old was signed by TFC on May 11th after a trial period with the club. During his short stint with the side, Dwyer made 14 appearances, 6 of them as a starter, for a total of 493 minutes, registering zero goals and one assist. For those who are wondering, Dwyer, who has a reputation for chicanery, was booked only once this year, with a yellow card in the November 7th match against DC United.
Prior to joining TFC, he spent a total of 10 seasons in MLS, splitting his time between Sporting Kansas City and Orlando City SC. His 2020 season with Orlando, his last under contract, was shortened by an injury to 2 appearances and no goals or assists. He became a free agent after his contract with Orlando expired.
Dwyer’s playing style can be described as an agitator - often involved in getting under the skin of opposing players. He’s found the back of the net 81 times throughout his career, giving him a respectable 0.47 goals/90 minutes. Also, he’s received 44 yellow cards and 2 Red cards throughout his career. That’s one yellow card approximately every 5 games.
This move provides Toronto FC with $50,000 in GAM and an undisclosed amount of money for the 2022 season. In a salary cap league, there is reason to scrutinize the team budget to ensure that TFC is getting value for every dollar spent.