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KBO’s Lotte Giants Sign Aaron Wilkerson, Release Dan Straily

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The Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization announced an agreement with right-hander Aaron Wilkerson this morning (h/t to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News). He’ll be paid $350K through season’s end.

Wilkerson, 34, has pitched professionally since 2013. He logged 14 big league appearances, all of which came with Milwaukee between 2017-19. Wilkerson spent part of last season in Japan with the Hanshin Tigers before returning to the U.S. for 2023. He’d been in the A’s system on a minor league pact, working to a 6.51 ERA through 47 innings with Triple-A Las Vegas.

The A’s granted Wilkerson his release last week. That was apparently so he could pursue the KBO opportunity, which’ll be the first of his career. (Oakland subsequently signed righty Zack Godley as non-roster rotation depth). Wilkerson has a 4.02 ERA over parts of five Triple-A seasons, striking out just under a quarter of opponents in the process.

In a corresponding transaction, Lotte released veteran righty Dan Straily. KBO teams are permitted a maximum of three foreign-born players (two pitchers) on the roster. The Giants will move forward with Charlie Barnes and Wilkerson. Straily has spent four of the last five seasons with Lotte. He was effective for the bulk of that time, including a 2.50 ERA in 2019 and a 2.31 mark over 11 starts after re-signing last August.

Straily hasn’t quite found his groove in 2023, however. He has a 4.37 ERA with a 19.2% strikeout rate and elevated 10.2% walk percentage through 80 1/3 innings. That led the Giants to move on and put Straily back on the open market. The 34-year-old was in affiliated ball last season, spending some time with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A club. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since an eight-year run from 2012-19.

Dan Straily Signs With KBO’s Lotte Giants

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The Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization announced the signing of veteran right-hander Dan Straily yesterday (h/t to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency). The Apex Baseball client will receive $400K for the remainder of the 2022 season.

Straily, 33, is a familiar face for the Busan-based club. He pitched with Lotte between 2020-21, starting his tenure there with a 2.50 ERA through 194 2/3 innings his first season. The second year wasn’t quite as dominant, as Straily allowed a bit more than four earned runs per nine across 165 2/3 frames. That’s still solid production, though, and the Giants tried to bring him back for a third season. Straily declined Lotte’s contract offer over the offseason as he set his sights on a return to the major leagues.

In February, Straily signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks. He spent the season at Triple-A Reno, starting 12 of his 15 appearances. He managed just a 6.35 ERA in an extremely hitter-friendly environment, however, and the D-Backs passed on a few opportunities to bring him back to the majors. They signed Dallas Keuchel after he’d been released by the White Sox and turned to Tyler Gilbert to plug the back of the rotation once Zach Davies landed on the injured list in late June. According to his transactions log at MLB.com, Straily was released by the D-Backs on Monday to pursue the KBO opportunity.

While Straily didn’t reach the big leagues in Arizona, he got to the majors each season from 2012-19. Over that stretch, he suited up with the A’s, Cubs, Astros, Reds, Marlins and Orioles. An effective back-of-the-rotation arm for the majority of the time, he posted four seasons with 100+ innings and an ERA of 4.26 or lower. He owns a 4.56 mark in just more than 800 MLB innings.

Yoo relays that the Giants are releasing former big league hurler Glenn Sparkman in a corresponding roster move. The right-hander pitched for the Blue Jays and Royals between 2017-20, including a 136-inning campaign for Kansas City in 2019. He split last season between the Orix Buffaloes in Japan and the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate before signing with the Giants over the winter.

Sparkman made 19 starts and tallied 84 2/3 innings with Lotte, but he managed only a 5.31 ERA. The 30-year-old struck out a decent 23.1% of batters faced, but he walked batters at an elevated 11.1% clip and generally struggled to keep runs off the board. Now that he’s a free agent, Sparkman could explore minor league opportunities stateside.

D-backs Notes: Straily, Carroll, Lawlar, Barfield

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Newly signed Diamondbacks righty Dan Straily chatted with The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan at length about his decision to sign with Arizona and his goals of reestablishing himself as a quality big league starter after a strong two-year run in the Korea Baseball Organization. Straily indicated that he had multiple offers but chose to sign with the D-backs for several reasons, including a good opportunity to earn a roster spot out of the gate and relative proximity (a two-hour flight) to his family’s home in Oregon. He candidly acknowledged that he went to South Korea in need of major improvement — “I didn’t end up in Korea because I was ready to be in the major leagues at the time” — and discussed changes he’s made to his repertoire, including pitch grips, pitch shapes, and an entirely new pitch.

More broadly, fans will want to check out the whole Q&A to get a sense of Straily’s experiences pitching in a foreign league (and of being in the midst of KBO Spring Training when the pandemic broke out), his relationship with incoming pitching coach Brent Strom and the finer details of the work he’s put in to rebuild his career. Notably, Straily added that he considered waiting until the lockout ended to pursue a Major League contract but ultimately chose a minor league opportunity that allowed him to get rolling as quickly as possible. “We felt like it was time for me to get to work,” said Straily.

For those who missed it, Straily also chatted with MLBTR readers back in December. Within, Straily discussed the difference between pitching in the KBO and in MLB, recalled come key early-career advice from notable teammates, and shared plenty of memories from his time in the Majors and in South Korea.

A few more notes on the D-backs…

  • Buchanan also passes along a pair of updates on some of the system’s top prospects (Twitter link). Outfielder Corbin Carroll is back to 100 percent after last year’s season-ending shoulder surgery. The 21-year-old was the No. 16 overall pick in 2019 and is widely regarded as one of the sport’s top 50 overall prospects, even after his 2021 injury. Carroll sustained the injury on a swing that resulted in a home run in one of the just seven games he played with the Snakes’ High-A affiliate last season. He hasn’t had much of a look in the pros thanks to that surgery and the wiped-out 2020 minor league season, but Carroll owns a .316/.428/.542 batting line with four home runs, ten doubles, nine triples and 21 stolen bases (in 23 tries) through his first 215 professional plate appearances, dating back to 2019. He’s viewed as a possible long-term option in center field for the D-backs, though he has a good bit of development left after effectively missing two full years’ worth of reps in 2020-21.
  • Also on the mend from shoulder surgery is 2021 top draft selection Jordan Lawlar. The touted young shortstop and No. 6 overall pick sustained a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder not long after signing, limiting his professional debut to just two games with the D-backs’ Rookie-level affiliate. Lawlar, 19, is about a month behind Carroll in his rehab process, per Buchanan, and has not yet been cleared for batting practice. Like Carroll, Lawlar is a consensus top prospect, albeit one who has a bit more variance in terms of scouting reports on his future (which is perhaps to be expected given his lack of pro experience). Keith Law ranked Lawlar No. 31 among MLB prospects, noting that he had the “best package of tools” in the 2021 draft and adding that with Lawlar’s athleticism, speed, arm strength and power potential, he could be in the mix for the sport’s top overall prospect next year.
  • Josh Barfield spoke with Bill Ladson of MLB.com to discuss his journey from big league infielder, to scout, to his current role as Diamondbacks director of player development. Barfield “never saw [himself] getting into this side of the game” but now relishes his player development role and the challenges it presents. Citing mentors like former D-backs GM Dave Stewart, current GM Mike Hazen and his own predecessor Mike Bell, who tragically passed away last spring after a battle with kidney cancer, Barfield discussed how his love for player development and baseball operations has grown. His ultimate goal has now shifted from his early days as a scout, as he told Ladson he has his sights set on eventually becoming a general manager. While Barfield acknowledged that “there’s not too many of those jobs,” his interactions with Hazen and Stewart, as well as his “ultra-competitive” nature are now driving that ambition.

Diamondbacks Sign Dan Straily To Minor League Contract

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The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Dan Straily to a minor league deal, as officially announced by the Triple-A Reno Aces.  Straily’s deal includes an invitation to Arizona’s big league spring camp.

A veteran of eight MLB seasons, Straily last pitched in the Show in 2019, when he allowed 22 home runs over 47 2/3 innings with the Orioles en route to an ungainly 9.82 ERA.  Straily opted for a notable change of scenery and joined the Korean Baseball Organization’s Lotte Giants for both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, with an impressive 3.22 ERA and 24.75% strikeout rate over 360 1/3 innings.

Straily took part in a chat with MLBTR’s readers back on December 14, and noted that a return to the majors was on his mind: “I have said since day one that I want to finish my career in the MLB where my son can watch me pitch.”  Since Straily is only 33 years old, there’s plenty of time left for a second act in his Major League history, provided that Straily can build on his success in the KBO League.

Beyond just the change in competition in South Korea, Straily also said that he and the Giants’ coaching staff used pitching technology to work on his pitches and upgrade both his changeup and fastball, in particular.  These changes have apparently caught the eye of the D’Backs, and for the no-risk cost of a minors deal and camp invite, Arizona can get a closer look at Straily (whenever Spring Training actually opens) to see if he can contribute to the active roster.

While the rotation was one of many things that went south for the 110-loss Diamondbacks in 2021, the club can at least go into next season with a provisional starting four in place — Zac Gallen, Madison Bumgarner, Merrill Kelly, Luke Weaver figure to be Arizona’s top choices at the moment.  Pitchers like Tyler Gilbert, Taylor Widener, Humberto Mejia, Humberto Castellanos and Caleb Smith could all be competing for that fifth spot or for bullpen roles, with Straily now adding some veteran depth to what is overall a pretty young and inexperienced group (except for Smith).  Injuries or trades could open up further opportunities in the rotation, as Kelly in particular could be a trade chip as he enters the final year of his contract.

Straily has a solid track record in his recent big league past, posting a 4.03 ERA over 495 1/3 innings with the Reds and Marlins from 2016-18.  Prior to that nightmare of a season in Baltimore, Straily had seemingly established himself as at least a solid innings-eater, if a pitcher prone to allowing home runs.  While Chase Field has a reputation for being a homer-friendly ballpark, that reputation may be a bit outdated, considering that fewer homers have been hit at the ballpark since the D’Backs began storing baseballs in a humidor prior to the 2018 season.  Over the last three years, Chase Field has actually allowed a below-average number of home runs, as per Statcast.

Dan Straily Aiming To Return To MLB In 2022

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Right-hander Dan Straily turned down a contract offer from the KBO League’s Lotte Giants for a third season in South Korea, as SportsGrid’s Craig Mish (via Twitter) reports that Straily is looking to return to the majors next season.  Straily is a veteran of eight big league seasons, last appearing in North American baseball as a member of the Orioles in 2019.

Among the many topics discussed in his chat with MLBTR readers on December 14, Straily noted that he was “always looking to play in MLB.  Anyone who puts on a uniform has the dream of pitching in MLB,” adding that “I have said since day one that I want to finish my career in the MLB where my son can watch me pitch.”  Given the lockout, Straily said that “time will tell” about whether or not he might ultimately land back in the bigs in 2022.  This marks the second straight offseason of uncertainty surrounding Straily’s plans, as he said he re-signed with the Giants last winter since “we didn’t know what the [Major League] season was going to look like with Covid, and Lotte came in with a really strong offer.”

This year, however, Straily will test free agency on the heels of two solid seasons in the KBO League.  The righty posted a 3.22 ERA and 24.75% strikeout rate over 360 1/3 innings with the Busan-based Giants, and perhaps the most intriguing statistic is the fact that Straily allowed a modest 22 homers in the hitter-friendly KBO.  That represents a strong improvement for a flyball pitcher like Straily, especially since issues with the home run ball led to his disastrous season in Baltimore.

Straily also allowed 22 home runs during his time with the Orioles, except that total came over only 47 2/3 innings, resulting in an ugly 9.82 ERA in 2019.  A move to the bullpen didn’t help Straily get on track, and while the Phillies acquired Straily at that year’s trade deadline, he didn’t see any big league action in Philadelphia.  Injuries contributed to that down year, as Straily mentioned in the reader chat that he only discovered after the season that he had been pitching with a torn meniscus.

The struggles in 2019 stood out given how solidly the righty performed with the Reds and Marlins from 2016-18 (4.03 ERA, if a 4.64 SIERA).  Since Straily isn’t a big strikeout pitcher and generally allows so many flyballs, it was perhaps inevitable that his eight MLB seasons featured plenty of variance in performance.  At his best, Straily has shown himself to be a durable starter who can provide quality innings if he can just keep the ball in the park.

Since pitching is always a need, MLB clubs have undoubtedly kept an eye on Straily’s work in South Korea, and could be interested in seeing if his KBO success could be replicated in North America.  Straily said in his chat that “we changed something on almost all of my pitches to make them better,” using such familiar pitching analysis “toys” as “Rapsodo, Driveline, and Edgertronic cameras” to both improve his changeup and add velocity to his fastball.  Last offseason, Straily drew attention from such Major League teams as the Angels, the Reds (one of Straily’s former teams) and the San Francisco Giants, so it stands to reason that any of those clubs could still be interested in the 33-year-old’s services.

KBO’s Lotte Giants Sign Charlie Barnes

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The Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization announced they’ve signed left-hander Charlie Barnes. The former Minnesota Twins southpaw will receive a $610K guarantee, according to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap. (Brandon Warne of Access Twins was first to report Barnes was signing with Lotte).

A fourth-round pick out of Clemson in 2017, Barnes steadily progressed through the Twins system. He reached the big leagues this year, ultimately making nine appearances (eight starts) for Minnesota down the stretch. He posted a 5.92 ERA over 38 innings while only striking out 11.4% of opposing hitters. After the season, the Twins outrighted Barnes off their 40-man roster.

While it wasn’t an illustrious debut showing, the 26-year-old has generally been effective throughout his minor league tenure. He owns an ERA below 4.00 at every stop through Double-A, and while he struggled during a brief end-of-season stint at Triple-A in 2019, he’d been better there this past season. Barnes tossed 76 innings with the Twins’ top affiliate in St. Paul, posting a 3.79 ERA. That came with a below-average 19.1% strikeout percentage, but Barnes’ 7.4% walk rate and 46.7% ground-ball rate were each a bit better than the league average.

That showing was enough to attract the attention of the Busan-based Giants. While Barnes didn’t have the requisite service time to reject the Twins’ outright assignment, the organization evidently granted him his release to make the move to South Korea. That allows the South Carolina native to lock in a guaranteed salary for 2022 that’s better than he’d have made during his time in Triple-A. If Barnes performs well enough in the KBO to embark upon a major league return at some point down the line, he might also field MLB offers that surpass the near-league minimum salaries he’d have earned over his first few seasons had he remained with Minnesota.

In addition to the Barnes deal, the Giants also confirmed their previously-reported agreement with Glenn Sparkman. As Yoo points out, Barnes, Sparkman and DJ Peters are now locked in as the Giants’ three allotted foreign-born players. That officially closes the books on any chance of Dan Straily and Enderson Franco — both of whom pitched for the Giants last year — returning to the club in 2022.

Read The Transcript Of Dan Straily’s Chat With MLBTR Readers

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Dan Straily has put together an accomplished career as a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball as well as Korea Baseball Organization.  Straily is an eight-year MLB veteran of the A’s, Cubs, Astros, Reds, Marlins, and Orioles.  He finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2013 and has made at least 23 starts in four separate MLB seasons.  Straily won 14 games in 2016 with the Reds and tied for the NL lead with 33 starts for the Marlins in ’17.  He’s been on the other end of trades involving Jeff Samardzija, Dexter Fowler, and Luis Castillo, among others.

Over the past two seasons, Straily has started 62 games for the Lotte Giants of KBO with a fine 3.22 ERA, and he’s now a free agent who is free to talk to MLB teams.  You can follow Dan on Twitter @danstraily67.  Dan also runs the excellent Journeyman Podcast along with Ben Fleming.  Follow the podcast @journeyman_pod on Twitter, and listen to it on Apple Podcasts here.

Today, we proudly hosted Dan for a live chat with MLBTR readers.  Click here to read the transcript.  We’ve got several more chats coming up with MLB players, so be on the lookout!  And if you’re a current or former MLB player who would enjoy chatting with the readers of this site, drop us a line through our contact form.  It’s an easy, fun one-hour experience and you get to choose the questions you answer.

Dan Straily To Re-Sign With KBO’s Lotte Giants

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Right-hander Dan Straily is returning for a second season with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization, reports Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Straily received some interest from teams around the Majors, but the Apex Baseball client will instead return to the KBO on another one-year deal. The pact is worth $1.2MM and includes $500K in incentives, Craig Mish of Sportsgrid tweets.

In 31 starts with the Giants in his debut KBO campaign, Straily totaled 194 frames and pitched to a 2.50 ERA and 2.97 FIP with 9.5 strikeouts, 2.4 walks and 0.46 home runs allowed per nine innings pitched. That showing garnered some interest from the Reds, Angels and Giants, among others. Based on the fact that he’s returning to the KBO, it’s possible that Straily didn’t receive a guaranteed offer, so he’ll instead re-up and take home a raise over last year’s $1MM salary.

It’s possible that Straily could have eventually found a big league deal had he waited out the Major League free-agent market, but that would’ve been a slow-going process with so many clubs still uncertain about their 2021 budgets and with many new entrants expected to hit the market thanks to today’s non-tender deadline. KBO clubs tend to get their business done much earlier in their offseason than most MLB organizations, so Straily looks to be opting for the guaranteed payday already in hand. Another strong season in 2021 would only strengthen his case for a big league return next winter.

Straily’s last big league action was disastrous, as he allowed 52 earned runs in just 47 2/3 frames for the Orioles back in 2019. However, he was a quality mid-rotation piece the three years prior, totaling 495 1/3 innings of 4.03 ERA ball with 7.8 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in 495 1/3 innings between the Reds and the Marlins.

Angels, Giants, Reds Among Teams Interested In Dan Straily

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Right-hander Dan Straily dropped completely off the MLB radar following a dismal 2019 showing with the Orioles — a season that saw him surrender 52 earned runs in just 47 2/3 big league innings. Interest in the righty was tepid, and he opted to take a guaranteed $1MM deal with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization over a nonguaranteed deal with an MLB club.

That move could wind up paying dividends for Straily, who’ll turn 32 next Tuesday. Sportsgrid’s Craig Mish reports that the veteran righty is receiving interest from MLB and KBO clubs alike, with the Angels, Giants and Reds among the Major League teams to have reached out. Straily is aiming to decide between a return to the Majors and another season (or seasons) in South Korea as soon as next week, per the report.

Straily’s return to the market this winter comes under vastly different circumstances. While he was coming off the worst season of his professional career a year ago, Straily recently wrapped an outstanding debut campaign in the KBO. In 31 starts, Straily totaled 194 frames and pitched to a 2.50 ERA and 2.97 FIP, averaging 9.5 strikeouts, 2.4 walks and 0.46 home runs per nine innings pitched. It was a remarkable turnaround for the well-traveled right-hander — one that seems to have restored some confidence in his ability to navigate a Major League lineup.

The 2019 season was such a struggle for Straily that it’s easy to forget he’s not far removed from being a perfectly serviceable rotation piece in the Majors. From 2016-18, Straily pitched in 90 games for the Reds and Marlins, working to a collective 4.03 ERA with 7.8 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and 1.49 HR/9. Fielding-independent marks were less bullish on the righty (4.83 FIP, 4.89 xFIP) due in some part to a .261 average on balls in play that was well below the league average and a 77.9 percent strand rate that was well north of average. It’s fair to say that Straily probably did benefit from some good fortune, but extreme fly-ball pitchers like him are generally able to sustain lower BABIPs; his .261 mark over that three-year term is right in line with his career .267 mark.

Also working in Straily’s favor is the simple fact that he should be affordable if he opts to return from the KBO. It’s possible he could command a multi-year pact with a modest annual salary, but many teams are likely hoping to ink him on a one-year deal, perhaps with some incentives to help boost his annual value. He’d surely be able to generate multi-year interest in the KBO or perhaps in NPB at this point, though a successful big league return is the most lucrative potential path forward.

Quick Hits: Keller, Straily, Lotte Giants, Neris, Red Sox

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Brad Keller posted a 2.47 ERA, 2.06 K/BB rate, 5.76 K/9, and 52.8% grounder rate over 54 2/3 innings this season, as the 25-year-old continues to establish himself as a front-of-the-rotation option for the Royals.  Keller was aided this season by an improved slider that essentially looked more like his fastball and moved like a curveball, as the right-hander told Fangraphs’ David Laurila.  The first step was remaking a slider delivery that initially left Keller unable to “see the plate because my front arm was covering the catcher….I was constantly pulling off on everything, yanking my front side.  I needed to clean that up and keep my shoulders more square.”

Working on advice from Royals pitching coach Cal Eldred during the league shutdown, Keller fixed his delivery and turned his slider into a prominent part of his arsenal.  38.2% of his pitches were sliders in 2020, well up from a 31.2% usage in 2019 and a 26.2% usage in 2018.  As per Fangraphs’ pitch value and slider runs above average (wSL) metrics, Keller had the third-most effective slider of any pitcher in baseball, behind only Dinelson Lamet and Zach Plesac.

More from around baseball as the Dodgers sit a game away from a championship…

  • Dan Straily’s first season in Korea was a success, and the right-hander tells Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News that he has yet to make a decision about a potential second season with the KBO League’s Lotte Giants.  Before anything, Straily wants to return to the United States to see his family for the first time in nine months, as COVID-19 travel restrictions kept him in South Korea.  “I want to be with my wife when the decision starts coming up and my agent starts talking to the team about this,” Straily said.  After inking a one-year, $1MM contract with the Lotte Giants last winter, Straily posted a 2.50 ERA with 205 strikeouts over 194 2/3 innings, becoming arguably the league’s top pitcher and a popular figure with fans.  It was a solid rebound season after a tough 2019 for Straily that saw him allow 22 homers over only 47 2/3 innings with the Orioles, resulting in a 9.82 ERA.
  • The Phillies hold a $7MM club option on Hector Neris for 2021, which the team could see as an acceptable price tag for a reliever who has been generally solid over parts of seven MLB seasons.  However, in an offseason where the Phillies are dealing with revenue losses and trying to get under the luxury tax threshold, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Corey Seidman sees Neris as a possible extension candidate.  Seidman floats the possibility of a two-year contract worth $9MM-$10MM, which seems like a good number from the Phils’ perspective, though it remains to be seen if Neris or his agents would accept such an offer.  The team has some leverage in the sense that Neris probably wouldn’t like to test the very uncertain 2020-21 free agent market, yet Neris might also have confidence that the Phillies wouldn’t actually decline his option since the Phils are in such dire need of bullpen help.
  • Chaim Bloom’s first year in charge of the Red Sox front office was a tumultuous one, and the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier looked beyond the unprecedented events (the pandemic’s effect on the season and the Mookie Betts trade) to examine patterns about how Bloom will shepherd the team going forward.  The Sox mostly targeted controllable players, and the sheer volume of transactions was also different, as the 2020 club had the most roster turnover of any Red Sox team of the past decade.  “It goes back to being more open-minded and willing to be more aggressive with the bottom end of our 40-man roster,” assistant GM Eddie Romero said.  “The 40-man roster became more of a living document.  It was a daily conversation.  It required daily upkeep.”
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