Before this discussion goes any further and $100K for Bernardez becomes considered anything but the outlier it is let's create an index.
Thanks to the MLS PA we've got access to something like numbers. What should a regular starter CB, who's not a kid, and has established credentials in the league or overseas, cost you in MLS?
http://www.mlsplayers.org/files/Augu... - By Club.pdf
(All number based on Guaranteed Compensation which includes annualized guaranteed bonuses. Remember this is not NECESSARILY the player's budget expense this season but serves a useful proxy to compare the amount of resources devoted to them.)
MON Nelson Rivas $50,000
SJE Victor Bernardez $100,000
NER AJ Soares $116,450
HOU Andre Hainault $163,125
VAN Alain Rochat $170,000
SJE Jason Hernandez $175,000
SEA Jeff Parke $185,325
MON Mateo Ferrari $185,475
FCD Ugo Ihemelu $190,000
HOU Bobby Boswell $200,000
RSL Nat Borchers $211,973
SKC Aurelien Collin $216,250
MON Alessandro Nesta $225,000
DCU Dejan Jakovic $228,043
CHI Arne Friedrich $230,833
COL Drew Moor $247,189
RSL Jamison Olave $250,000
SKC Julio Cesar $255,750
LAG Omar Gonzalez $257,000
DCU Brandon McDonald $258,250
PHI Carlos Valdes $268,000
CHV Danny Califf $275,000
PHI Bakary Soumare $280,000
COL Marvell Wynne $326,667
CMB Chad Marshall $341,250
VAN Jay DeMerit $350,000
Looking at that list, it's clear that while you can find good quality starting CBs for under $200K, obviously it's an advantage if you can, you shouldn't necessarily expect to or consider yourself hamstrung if you don't. The really established guys tend to cluster around the $200K-$250K range. Who knows who's fibbing about those Montreal numbers or what sort of timebombs are waiting to go off over the coming years there.
When you consider, outside of Eckersley, how little we really spend on the rest of our regular back line I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that we SHOULD be willing to invest in a player around the $250K range. Considering O'Dea's age and international pedigree I don't think something in the standard range, that would let him graduate into the higher part of the list over time if he works out and sticks around, is unreasonable. Anything below $200K would be great business; starting him above $250K probably wouldn't be. Again: he's supposed to be an every game starter that we can rely on. You've got to be willing to pay for that unless you find a crazy bargain. We'll see when the numbers come out again.
Edit: And I wasn't trying to cherry pick data but create an idea of "regular" compensation for an established starting CB. That meant leaving off someone like George John who's clearly just seeing out his deal before moving on or Patrick Ianni who's only broken through as a starter recently and is still being paid like a sub. It's interesting that from Dejan Jakovic in the middle there's exactly 8 guys below him, on my subjective and somewhat random list, who make $175K or greater and 8 guys above him who make $275K or lower. So there's you range: $175K to $275K with $225 happily right in the middle. The gold standard for a CB
pairing in MLS over the last few seasons, Olave and Borchers, are just on either side of that at $250,000 and $211,973 respectively.
IF HE WORKS OUT, having O'Dea on money around $200K-$225K to start would be good business.