Grade the Trade: Rudy Camacho’s move to Columbus

Columbus and CF Montréal turned some heads with the trade of Rudy Camacho. Let’s grade the move. 

As the summer transfer window comes to a close, few teams have been as active as the Columbus Crew. It’s clear the Crew have ambitions for this season and have made several moves to reinforce their roster as we head toward the playoffs. One trade that surprised a few was the Crew’s acquisition of defender Rudy Camacho from CF Montréal.

Both teams want to win. Will this move help both achieve their goals?

Columbus Crew: A

The Crew has lofty ambitions for this season. They have the league’s best attack, having scored 45 goals on the season. On the defensive end, they are about league average but have suffered a hit to their ranks. The team’s best center back, Miloš Degenek has returned to Serbia after a year and a half in Columbus.

Looking to contend, Columbus made the shrewd decision to replace Degenek with an MLS-proven defender. A player that has performed at a high level within the league. That player is Rudy Camacho.

Camacho, 32, is a very different type of defender than Degenek. Camacho is a true ball-playing center back. Very comfortable with the ball at his feet, Camacho excels at initiating attacks from the back with a wide passing range. From there Camacho is not afraid to join in attacks as they advance up the pitch, the Frenchman sits in the 70th percentile for progressive passes received, illustrating his constant attacking threat. Cucho Hernández, Diego Rossi, and Christian Ramirez all stand to benefit from this aspect of Camacho’s game.

Being able to contribute to attacks is great, but you also want your defenders to, you know, defend. Camacho is no scrub in that regard. His main defensive strength comes from his ability to sniff out loose balls and his positioning. Not a physical center back, Camacho relies on being in the right place to disrupt attacks.

A six-year veteran, Camacho will also be able to provide leadership and experience as Columbus strives for a deep playoff run.

CF Montréal: C-

Montréal, while not as active as Columbus, has carved out a busy window. Plenty of outgoings have been matched by incomings as the team looks to contend in 2023.

Following the trade of Camacho, it’s fair to wonder if that is actually the plan. By losing Camacho, Montreal has gotten objectively worse.

Camacho was Montréal’s best defender after Gabriele Corbo. Camacho’s passing made him the perfect fit in the middle of Hernán Losada’s back three. Without Camacho, the responsibilities of that role likely fall onto the shoulders of 22-year-old George Campbell, who has shown promise but remains a bit raw.

In return for Camacho, Montreal receives $400k in General allocation money, to be split up into two payments. $200k in 2023 followed by the next $200k in 2024. A decent sum of money for a contributor like Camacho at best.