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Tyler Austin Out Six Weeks Due To Foot Fracture

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The Yankees will be without Tyler Austin for the majority of Spring Training after the 25-year-old suffered a small fracture in his left foot, manager Joe Girardi told reporters (Twitter link via Joel Sherman of the New York Post). Austin sustained the injury when he fouled a ball off his foot in batting practice yesterday. He’ll be in a walking boot for the next three weeks and will be shut down from all baseball activity for six weeks, Sherman adds.

For most of the offseason, the expectation surrounding Austin was that he would compete with Greg Bird for at bats at first base with the Yankees. Given Austin’s minor league experience in the corner outfield, he could’ve conceivably mixed in some occasional time in right field (where Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks are set to compete for the starting role). The signing of Chris Carter (another right-handed first base/DH candidate) certainly diminished Austin’s chances of making the roster, but the news of this injury seems to all but assure that he’ll head to the minors to open the regular season.

Austin made his Major League debut in 2016 and showed off plenty of power, hitting .241/.300/.458 with five homers and three doubles in just 90 plate appearances. He also struck out a troubling 36 times in that stretch, though, suggesting that his approach at the plate could still use some refinement. Austin is coming off an excellent season between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he posted a combined .294/.392/.524 batting line and 17 homers in 444 plate appearances.

As MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets, the Yankees will also be without Mason Williams for the next two weeks due to inflammation of his left patella tendon. Williams is a long shot to make the roster due to the presence of Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Hicks, Judge and Matt Holliday on the roster. He’s played in just 51 Triple-A games (plus 20 MLB contests) and has an option remaining, so further work in the minors seems likely.

Yankees Sign Chris Carter

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After a lengthy trip through free agency, first baseman/designated hitter Chris Carter has found a new home. The Yankees announced on Thursday that they’ve signed the Sports Management Partners client to a one-year deal, confirming previous reports of the agreement. Carter will reportedly be guaranteed $3.5MM on the new contract. The deal is also reported to contain up to $500K worth of incentives; Carter will earn $100K for reaching each of 250, 300, 350, 400 and 450 plate appearances.

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New York is adding the National League’s 2016 co-leader in home runs in Carter, who swatted 41 long balls as a member of the Brewers. Despite that, Milwaukee elected to non-tender Carter in late November after it couldn’t find a taker for him via trade. Carter would have made a projected $8.1MM this year via arbitration, so the Yankees are landing him at a discounted rate after he sat on the open market for over two months.

The Yankees will be the fifth organization for the 30-year-old Carter, a 2005 White Sox draft pick who debuted with the Athletics in 2010 and has hit no fewer than 24 homers in any individual season since 2013, his first full campaign in the majors. Along with his prodigious power (he also led the NL in ISO last season), Carter provides above-average patience, having drawn walks at an 11.6 percent clip in his career.

Power and patience aside, there’s no value to be found elsewhere in Carter’s game, as he has registered strikeout percentages in the low-30s and contact rates in the mid-60s in each of his big league seasons. Both his difficulty putting the ball in play and lack of speed have helped lead to a low batting average (.218) and underwhelming on-base percentage (.314) in 2,645 PAs. In the field, Carter has accounted for minus-19 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-15.5 Ultimate Zone Rating in 3,400-plus innings at first base.

Despite his defensive issues, Carter seems likely to be a prominent part of the Yankees’ equation at first base, as fellow free agent pickup Matt Holliday is set to be their primary designated hitter. The right-handed-hitting Carter is clearly a more established option than likely starter Greg Bird, a lefty-swinger who could platoon with Carter. And it remains to be seen how Bird will bounce back after missing all of last season because of a shoulder injury. The Yankees also have another homegrown first baseman in righty Tyler Austin, but he has a pair of minor league options remaining and could head to the Triple-A level now that Carter’s in the fold.

Although Carter’s deal is only for a single year, the Yankees can actually control him through the 2018 season if they want. Carter, after all, still has another season of arbitration eligibility remaining. For now, he’ll join catcher Gary Sanchez, Holliday, Bird and outfielder Aaron Judge as the Bombers’ best power threats.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale first reported the agreement (Twitter links). FanRag’s Jon Heyman added financial details.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Yankees Designate Richard Bleier For Assignment

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The Yankees announced on Thursday that they’ve designated left-hander Richard Bleier for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for slugger Chris Carter, whose one-year deal is now official.

The 29-year-old Bleier made his MLB debut last season and pitched quite well, logging a 1.96 ERA in 23 innings for the Yanks. Bleier averaged 5.1 K/9 against 1.6 BB/9 to go along with a 54.1 percent ground-ball rate, though his fastball checked in at just over 89 mph, on average. Bleier, a former sixth-round pick (Rangers, 2008), greatly outperformed his minor league numbers in his short big league stint with New York. He spent the rest of the year in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he posted a 3.72 ERA with just 25 strikeouts in 58 innings (10 starts, two relief appearances).

The Yankees signed Bleier as a minor league free agent prior to the 2016 season, and while he proved a very useful depth option for the organization, his overall track record at Triple-A creates some doubt about his ability to sustain last year’s Major League performance. In 147 innings across parts of four Triple-A campaigns, Bleier has a 3.29 ERA but has averaged just 3.7 K/9 against 1.5 BB/9. While he clearly has pristine control and a penchant for inducing ground-balls, likely hurt his standing within the organization.

If Bleier is ultimately exposed to waivers and clears, he can remain in camp with the Yankees as a non-roster player and hope to once again surface in the Majors later this season.

Latest On Travis Wood’s Market

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FEB. 13: FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that Wood is expected to make a decision on his new team in the very near future — possibly as soon as today.

FEB. 12: The Cubs have made contract offers to Travis Wood, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter links), though the Padres and two other teams are also still in the mix for the free agent lefty.  The Yankees aren’t one of the other teams; New York reportedly checked in on Wood recently, though the Yankees weren’t considered to be top candidates for his services.

Wood’s market has begun to generate more buzz in recent days, though the veteran southpaw has seen his name pop up in rumors for much of the winter.  Besides the Yankees, Padres and Cubs, the Marlins and Blue Jays were also linked to Wood at different times this offseason, and either of those clubs still makes sense as one or both of the mystery teams pursuing the left-hander (though Miami has made a number of other pitching additions).

Wood’s history as a starter has drawn interest from multiple teams looking at him as rotation help, with the Padres included in that list.  The Cubs would be looking to use Wood as a swingman, while it isn’t known what role the other two suitors intend Wood to fill.

For the first five seasons of his big league career, Wood was a durable and mostly effective starter for the Reds and Cubs before transitioning into a relief role for Chicago during the 2015 season.  He posted tremendous numbers as a reliever in 2015 and continued to get good results last year, posting a 2.95 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 1.96 K/BB rate over 61 bullpen innings.  Thanks to such factors as his low strikeout rate and a .215 BABIP, however, advanced metrics (4.54 FIP, 4.83 xFIP, 4.46 SIERA) painted a less-impressive picture of Wood’s season.

Looking at the Cubs’ left-handed options, Mike Montgomery and Brett Anderson are vying for the fifth spot in the rotation, with Brian Duensing and Rob Zastryzny in line for potential bullpen jobs with the loser of the fifth starter battle.  The Cubs could feel more comfortable with a familiar face like Wood in a swingman or spot starter role rather than relying on several other more inexperienced depth options (Zastryzny, Eddie Butler, Alec Mills, Ryan Williams).

East Notes: Marlins, Red Sox, Yankees

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Unsurprisingly, Marlins president David Samson didn’t reveal much Saturday when asked about the rumored “handshake agreement” owner Jeffrey Loria has to sell the franchise to Joshua Kushner. “There’s obviously a lot of buzz, there’s rumors, there’s all sorts of stuff that happens all the time,” he told Tim Healey of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Are these rumors different than other rumors? Time will always tell what happens.” Samson, who added that Loria “loves being [in Miami],” also informed Joe Frisaro of MLB.com that the franchise is focusing on selling Marlins Park’s naming rights and amending its TV deal prior to 2018. On naming rights, Samson said: “There’s still three companies, and we cannot figure out which direction we’re going to go in. I still want to get it done before the All-Star Game. It’s such a long-term decision. I don’t want to make the wrong one.” The Marlins’ TV contract with FOX Sports Florida runs through 2020, but Samson noted that both parties know the “deal is in a place where it’s not commensurate with the revenue that should be coming to the team, given the content that we’re giving. That is no fault of anybody’s but mine.”

Now the latest from the American League East:

  • That the Red Sox were able to acquire ace Chris Sale from the White Sox without giving up left fielder Andrew Benintendi could propel them back to the World Series this year, opines Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. Red Sox left-hander David Price called it “amazing” that the team landed Sale while retaining Benintendi, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski observed that “Andrew is not a player you’re ever looking to trade.” The 22-year-old Benintendi was terrific in his 118-plate appearance major league debut last season (.295/.359/.476) and enters 2017 as an AL Rookie of the Year front-runner. He’s also No. 1 on Baseball America’s just-released Top 100 prospects list – one spot ahead of second baseman/third baseman Yoan Moncada, who headlined Chicago’s return in the Sale trade. Right-hander Michael Kopech, the second-biggest piece the White Sox received, is 32nd.
  • The Yankees left a great impression on closer Aroldis Chapman during his stint with them last year, which led him to prioritize re-signing with the club in free agency. Ultimately, he returned to the Bronx on a five-year, $86MM deal – a record-breaking pact for a reliever. “The first moment that I got here in Spring Training, the way that they treated me, the attention that I got,” he told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “The work ethic of this team, the clubhouse, the athletes that they have. Those things, all of them made me feel very comfortable. That for me was the most important thing, and I wanted to come back.” Chapman, who ended last season with the World Series champion Cubs, sees similarities between the way the Yankees are assembling their roster and how Chicago has built its juggernaut of a squad. “Chicago started doing the same thing, bringing young players in the beginning, combined with veterans,” he said. “It worked for them, and it’s a solid team. The Yankees are similar in that way. They’re trying to bring in some youth, athletes that are very gifted.”

Free Agent Rumors: Hammel, Crisp, Carter, Moss, Fuld, Niese

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An unanticipated series of factors led starter Jason Hammel to sign with the Royals, as Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star writes. That included not only the fact that Hammel surprisingly reached and then remained on the open market, but also the untimely death of young Royals righty Yordano Ventura. First and foremost a human tragedy, Ventura’s passing also left the organization in need of another starter for the coming season — an uncomfortable situation which Hammel thoughtfully acknowledged in his introductory remarks. “I feel like I need to express my condolences to, first of all, Royals Nation and the Ventura family,” he said. “Just because, I truly feel that if that unfortunate passing doesn’t happen, you guys aren’t talking to me.”

Here are a few more notes on the free-agent market…

  • Coco Crisp doesn’t have a job for the 2017 season yet, but he tells John Hickey of the San Jose Mercury News that he isn’t ready to retire and hopes to latch on with a club. “Physically, I’m good,” says Crisp. “There’s nothing that would keep my from playing. My neck feels better, my body feels good.” Crisp’s agent, Steve Comte, tells Hickey that he has spoken to multiple clubs and continues to do so in hopes of securing a new contract for the 37-year-old outfielder. Crisp hit .231/.302/.397 with 13 home runs (plus two in the playoffs) last season and could conceivably help a club as a fourth outfielder and veteran influence. He has struggled against lefties in recent years but has logged a respectable .236/.324/.368 slash against righties (96 wRC+).
  • The Yankees discussed a potential Chris Carter trade with the Brewers before the slugger was non-tendered by Milwaukee, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. Had that deal come to fruition, the Yankees would likely have been on the hook for an arbitration salary near $8MM for Carter, who instead agreed to a one-year, $3.5MM free-agent deal with the Yanks earlier this week. Certainly, that could’ve had a trickle-down effect on the Yankees’ offseason, as those talks would’ve occurred prior to the Yankees’ signing of Matt Holliday to a one-year deal. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times spoke to Carter’s agent, Dave Stewart, who wouldn’t directly comment on how the Rays’ bid compared that of the Yankees (Twitter link), though Stewart did note that Carter “felt the opportunity was the same.”
  • Topkin also tweets that the Rays are among the teams keeping tabs on free-agent outfielder Sam Fuld. The 35-year-old Fuld missed the 2016 season due to shoulder surgery and had a poor year at the plate in 2015 with the A’s, but he provided Oakland with solid defense and baserunning that season. Fuld can almost certainly be had on a minor league deal and would give Tampa Bay some depth behind current starters Colby Rasmus, Kevin Kiermaier and Steven Souza. Corey Dickerson figures to see some time in the outfield as well, and non-roster invitee could make the Rays’ roster as a right-handed-hitting complement to Rasmus. Utilityman Nick Franklin, too, could see some time in the outfield. None of those alternatives can play center field, though, so adding Fuld would give the Rays a veteran fourth outfielder while Mallex Smith gets some more work at Triple-A.
  • The Nationals “checked in on” first baseman/outfielder Brandon Moss before he signed with the Royals, reports Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Moss would at least have represented a quality bench piece for the Nationals, whose depth is an issue, as FanGraphs’ Dave Cameron wrote last week. The lefty swinging Moss could theoretically have shared time (and provided insurance) for right-handed-hitting first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and left fielder Jayson Werth — a possibility that led MLBTR to guess that Moss would land in D.C. at the outset of the offseason.
  • Thirteen teams attended the workout hosted by free agent lefty Jon Niese earlier today, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). The 30-year-old Niese, hoping to demonstrate his health for interested parties, threw a 40-pitch bullpen session for the scouts in attendance. Niese struggled through the worst season of his career in 2016 but was a solid fourth/fifth starter for the Mets for several years prior to the down season. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus late in the year.

Yankees “Have Checked In On” Travis Wood

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With no established major league starters beyond Masahiro Tanaka, C.C. Sabathia and Michael Pineda on their roster, the Yankees “have checked in on” free agent left-hander Travis Wood, tweets FanRag’s Jon Heyman. However, the Yankees “don’t necessarily seem at the forefront of talks” for Wood, whose market has heated up in recent days.

Wood, who turned 30 on Monday, worked exclusively out of the Cubs’ bullpen last season, but “multiple teams” have offered him opportunities to return to a starting role this winter. That could include the Yankees, who are currently set to have Luis Severino, Chad Green, Bryan Mitchell, Luis Cessa and Adam Warren battle for their final two rotation spots during the spring. Those five have combined for just 68 big league starts, whereas Wood piled up nearly twice as many (133) with the Reds and Cubs from 2010-15. Wood was fairly effective during that six-year, 776-inning span, too, as he recorded a 4.19 ERA, 7.11 K/9 and 3.15 BB/9.

While Wood is coming off a career-best season in terms of run prevention (2.95 ERA in 61 innings), he also had the good fortune of pitching in front of the Cubs’ all-world defense. His ERA masked a subpar K/BB ratio (1.96; well below the 2.53 league-average mark for relievers), and advanced metrics like FIP (4.54), xFIP (4.83) and SIERA (4.46) weren’t particularly impressed with his performance. Further, Wood generated ground balls at a meager 37.4 percent clip, and his careerlong trend of relying on fly balls – not to mention his below-average velocity and struggles against right-handed hitters – could make him a poor fit for Yankee Stadium and the AL East. To his credit, Wood has somewhat offset his lifetime 33.6 grounder percentage with an 11.9 percent infield fly rate, which climbed to a lofty 17.8 percent in 2016.

Regardless of whether it’s with the Yankees, Wood seems likely to land a deal soon. With spring training closing in and former Cubs teammate Jason Hammel now off the market, Wood is arguably the top starting-caliber arm available in free agency.

Yankees Interested In Chris Carter

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The Yankees are “keeping tabs on” one of the best free agents remaining on the board, first baseman Chris Carter, and have had talks with agent Dave Stewart, sources told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Even though he co-led the National League with 41 home runs last season, the 30-year-old Carter has struggled to generate strong interest since the Brewers non-tendered him in late November. Milwaukee would have owed Carter an estimated $8.1MM in arbitration in 2017, which the club deemed too rich for the flawed slugger. Few provide more thump than Carter, who has swatted at least 24 homers in each of his four full seasons, and he also brings above-average patience, having walked in 11.6 percent of career plate appearances. However, he has posted strikeout percentages in the low-30s and contact rates in the mid-60s in each of his major league seasons, leading to an unsightly .218 batting average and a below-average .314 on-base percentage. Moreover, the lumbering Carter doesn’t offer value as either a defender or baserunner, which has made it all the more difficult for him to find work this offseason.

As a right-handed hitter, Carter would complement the Yankees’ likely starting first baseman, the lefty-swinging Greg Bird, and give the team proven insurance if the latter struggles in his first full season. The 24-year-old Bird excelled over 178 plate appearances in 2015, his rookie year, but he missed all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery. Another homegrown talent, the righty-hitting Tyler Austin, is primed to platoon with Bird, though he has only totaled 90 big league PAs and has two minor league options remaining. New York’s next best option is high-profile free agent signing Matt Holliday, but the longtime outfielder has minimal first base experience (10 games, all of which came last season) and is set to serve as the club’s designated hitter.

It’s worth noting, too, that the Yankees lack power threats outside of catcher Gary Sanchez, Holliday, Bird and unproven outfielder Aaron Judge, so picking up Carter – who paced the NL in ISO (.277) last season – would address that. The Yankees are mindful of the luxury tax, though, as Crasnick notes, which could prevent a deal from happening. As of now, Carter has several single-year offers worth $2.5MM to $3MM in hand, but he’s waiting for a more lucrative proposal to come along, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter links).

New York Notes: Yankees, Mets, Romo, Betances, Bullpens

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Here’s the latest baseball news from both Big Apple teams…

  • Both the Yankees and Rays made late pushes to sign right-hander Sergio Romo before he agreed to sign with the Dodgers, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports.  Romo, a southern California native, preferred to remain on the west coast, as FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets.  Heyman noted earlier that Romo had larger offers, including one from a “mystery” team that made a late increase in its offer to Romo.  The New York Post’s Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Yankees never made a formal offer to Romo, so the late increase would’ve had to have come from Tampa Bay or perhaps another mystery team in the mix.
  • There hasn’t been any change in the Yankees’ “file-and-trial” stance towards Dellin Betances’ arbitration hearing on February 17, George A. King III of the New York Post writes.  “Nothing has changed, we haven’t talked.  We have no intention of talking.  It’s not close. Somebody else will make the decision,” GM Brian Cashman said.  As King notes, other teams who have recently taken firm stances against negotiating prior to an arb hearing have instead worked out an agreement (such as the Royals and Kelvin Herrera or the Orioles and Kevin Gausman).  Betances filed for a $5MM salary in 2017 while the Yankees countered with a $3MM proposal.
  • In another piece from Joel Sherman, he looks at the contrast between how the Mets and Yankees are pursuing relief pitching upgrades.  Both teams seem to be operating under stringent budgets, though the Mets showed flexibility and a bit more of a win-now mentality in adding Jerry Blevins and Fernando Salas on deals that aren’t guaranteed beyond 2017.  The Yankees, meanwhile, missed out on Romo and don’t seem to have much willingness to add another veteran arm to their bullpen unless that pitcher meets their asking price.  It should be noted that the Yankees did make a big splash to sign Aroldis Chapman and, with the Chapman/Betances/Tyler Clippard trio in place at the end of games, the Yankees had less of a pressing need in the pen than the Mets did.  Still, as Sherman points out, the Yankees would like to add another experienced reliever to both add depth to the bullpen and to possibly allow the team’s young starters to stay stretched out in Triple-A rather than requiring them for relief work.
  • Better health from the rotation will be the biggest change to a Mets team that saw little roster turnover, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo writes.  Yoenis Cespedes, Neil Walker, Salas and Blevins are all returning to a roster that managed to reach the NL wild card game in 2016 despite injuries to virtually every member of the starting staff.  The Mets are aiming to keep their pitchers healthy by cutting short starts if necessary or skipping starts altogether, and by deploying a six-man rotation to keep everyone fresh.  If the rotation is healthier, it stands to reason the Mets could equal or surpass their 87-win total from last season.

Yankees Made Starlin Castro Available In Trade Talks

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The Yankees explored trades for several high-priced veterans on their roster this winter, with Joel Sherman of the New York Post reporting that Starlin Castro was among these names.  The Yankees “let some clubs know [Castro] was available,” which comes short of actually shopping the second baseman but it does indicate at least an openness to the idea of a deal.  As with Chase Headley and Brett Gardner, the Yankees weren’t able to drum up much trade interest in Castro.

In his first year in the pinstripes, Castro hit .270/.300/.433 with 21 homers over 610 plate appearances, making him a below-average runs creator (94 wRC+).  Castro hit for more power than ever before (a career-best .163 Isolated Slugging mark) but he also set a new career high with a 19.3% strikeout rate.  He also posted subpar glovework as per the Defensive Runs Saved (-8) and UZR/150 (-7.7) metrics in his first full season as a second baseman.

Castro showed enough promise early in his career that the Cubs signed him to a seven-year, $60MM extension in August 2012 but his production has since declined.  With the exception of a strong 2014 campaign, Castro hasn’t delivered much at the plate in three of the last four seasons, and with below-average baserunning and on-base skills, a bump in power might not create enough extra value for Castro if his contact rate and defense continue to decline.  It’s worth noting that Castro is both still young (he’s entering his age-27 season) and he has had a year to adjust to AL pitching, so it could perhaps be too early to write him off.

Still, as Castro is owed $30MM through the 2019 season (plus a $16MM club option for 2020 that carries a $1MM buyout), it makes sense that the Yankees would at least consider moving a player who has generated just 1.9 fWAR combined over the last two seasons.  The Yankees have been operating under a tighter-than-usual budget this winter, Sherman notes, as the team is aiming to get under the luxury tax threshold by next season.

Aroldis Chapman and Matt Holliday were the club’s major free agent expenditures, while Brian McCann was dealt to the Astros and the likes of Castro, Headley and Gardner were all floated in trade talks.  The Yankees have shown a willingness to eat some money to facilitate trades (as in the McCann deal), though outright salary dumps appear to be out of the question as the club continues to rebuild its minor league system.

That deeper farm system may also play a role in New York’s willingness to discuss Castro deals.  Shortstop Gleyber Torres was the centerpiece of the Yankees’ midseason trade of Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs, plus Jorge Mateo, Wilkerman Garcia and Tyler Wade are all ranked within MLB.com’s list of the Yankees’ top 15 prospects.  With Didi Gregorius seemingly locked into a spot in the middle infield for years to come in the Bronx, this surplus of second base/shortstop talent could make Castro an odd man out for reasons beyond just his salary.

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