The next time Carl Robinson appears in New York he won't be playing on throwball lines, he won't be facing Clint Mathis and he probably won't be wearing a red shirt, unless the Red Bulls have something unexpected in store.
When we first heard about the Robinson to New York rumors on Saturday morning, there was quite a bit of confusion about the exact nature of the deal. Was it an outright trade or was Robinson joining RBNY on trial? Finally this afternoon the cat was let of the bag when TFC general manager Mo Johnston confirmed to John Molinaro of CBC the terms of the Robinson trade. New York will send it's 2011 4th round Superdraft pick to TFC in exchange for Robinson. Toronto will also assume an undisclosed portion of the player's salary, thought to be a hefty chunk.
The hesitation in formally announcing the deal, according to Johnston, was the Red Bulls' desire to secure a visa and finalize paperwork. Now Mo has never been the most reliable source, but we can assume that he wouldn't just make stuff up in an interview with the CBC, right? The deal, according to the story, should be finalized this week.
So what does Robinson provide to the Red Bulls? Competition for Seth Stammler, for one thing. Robinson could also be a positive influence on the still raw Tony Tchani, as he was with Maurice Edu in Toronto. All in all, if the Red Bulls have in fact walked away with Robinson for around $100,000 in salary and a fairly meaningless draft pick, it's a hell of a deal.
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