Celebrate Thanks: Timbers sign Blanco to extension as DP

The Portland Timbers announced today that they have signed Sebastian Blanco to a multi-year contract extension. The terms of the deal will keep Blanco as a Designated Player on the Timbers roster. The length of the extension was undisclosed, but it was reported by The Athletic earlier this month that Blanco had agreed to a two-year extension, and the club was waiting until after the season to announce the deal.

The exact terms of the extension were undisclosed, and according to the MLS Player Association, Blanco was due around $2.8 million in guaranteed compensation in 2019. Since he is remaining as a Designated Player, one can reasonably guess that his guaranteed compensation will remain at around that level.

The Portland Timbers’ current designated players are Blanco, Brian Fernandez, and Diego Valeri. With Valeri’s contract status currently up in the air, it is unknown if Blanco’s new deal impacts Valeri’s current contract situation.

Blanco’s extension locks up a key piece of the Portland Timbers’ attack for multiple seasons to come. Regardless of how Valeri’s or Fernandez’s situation resolves, ensuring that Blanco stays in green & gold was no doubt an important piece of offseason business that the Timbers will be happy to have gotten done.