No. 4: Merritt Paulson

Merritt Paulson

(Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian)

After a fairly quiet month of November, the Portland Timbers are finally set to make some significant announcements on Monday, Dec. 8.

On Monday, the Timbers will announce several trades and signings, the options on players they have renewed and declined and their protected list for the Dec. 10 MLS Expansion Draft, Timbers owner Merritt Paulson said.

Paulson would not comment on reports indicating that the Timbers have already signed Ghanaian goalkeeper Adam Larsen Kwarasey, but if the rumored signing is in fact true, it seems likely that Portland would officially announce it Monday.

The signing of Kwarasey raises questions over whether the Timbers will hold onto the other three goalkeepers on their roster, Donovan Ricketts, Andrew Weber and Jake Gleeson.

Timbers coach Caleb Porter and general manager Gavin Wilkinson are currently out of the country presumably looking at players. Porter is in Europe, while Wilkinson is in Central America.

After a poor defensive 2014 season where the Timbers conceded 52 goals, many people have speculated that Portland would be trying to add defenders to their roster during the offseason.

The Timbers are also lacking some depth at defensive midfield since Will Johnson is currently recovering from a broken leg and at winger following Steve Zakuani's retirement earlier in the offseason.

Which players do you think the Timbers will be dropping from their roster? Who do you think they'll be trading away? And what positions do you think the Timbers will be targeting with their new signings?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

-- Jamie Goldberg | @jamiebgoldberg