Get those stoves warmed up folks, because the winter signings are here.
Reports emerged today that the Portland Timbers are finalizing the signing of free agent fullback Brandon Bye, most recently of the New England Revolution. The Athletic's Tom Bogert was the first with the news, and it's been confirmed by New England media as well.
🟢 Sources: The Portland Timbers are finalizing a deal to sign free agent right back Brandon Bye. Bye, 30, made 214 appearances with New England since being selected in the 2018 SuperDraft. Believe this is first free agent deal (for player changing clubs) this winter to be set
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2025-12-12T17:05:48.434Z
Bye is a seven-year veteran of MLS, and has logged over 14,000 minutes primarily as a right back for the Revs. He cemented a starting spot as a rookie after he was drafted in 2018 and was a steady starter for New England through 2022, playing a key role on the team that won the Supporter's Shield in 2021. His playing time diminished in recent years, hence why he was available for the Timbers to snatch up in free agency.
Bye will be reuniting with his former coach in New England, Dave Van Den Bergh, once his signing becomes official and he comes to town.
With Eric Miller a free agent and his future with the club up in the air, Portland are in need of depth at the right back spot – especially with presumptive starter Juan Mosquera suspended for the first match of the 2026 season due the red card he was shown in Portland's final playoff game in 2025. Bye provides just that, lending veteran experience and dependable play at a position of need for the Timbers.
He continues the recent trend of GM Ned Grabavoy and head coach Phil Neville turning to MLS experience in recent windows. The Timbers have signed the likes of James Pantemis, Maxime Crepeau, Kamal Miller, Bryan Acosta, and Mason Toye over the past few years. It's been clear from the start the Portland braintrust places a lot of value in experience within the league, and Bye is just the latest to fit the bill.
There are a few remaining questions that will be answered around Bye's signing in the coming days. Namely, his salary. He was on a deal that paid him $443,813 in guaranteed compensation in 2025, according to the MLS Player's Association. For context, that would have paid him more than Juan Mosquera, the man he would be supposedly by backing up, on 2025's squad. Additionally, what does this mean for Eric Miller? Could he be off to other climes now that Portland has their veteran backup, and Sawyer Jura is coming in as a homegrown player next year?
We'll have those answers in time, and we will know how he slots into the current squad soon after that. But for now, we know who will be coming through the door first for Portland this winter. And crucially, we know that it is likely a shrewd and dependable signing at a position of need.
