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Pirates Notes: Lineup, Nicasio, Cole

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Earlier, we heard the Pirates may bat Andrew McCutchen second in an attempt to better optimize their lineup. That’s not the only optimization planned, writes Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Slow footed John Jaso may bat first so the club can take advantage of his high OBP – especially against right-handed pitching. As manager Clint Hurdle notes, the expected effect of an optimized lineup might come out to only one or two extra wins over the course of a season. Of course, it’s also right to note that expected and actual production can diverge for numerous statistical reasons.

Here’s more out of Pittsburgh:

  • Juan Nicasio’s ability to command the fastball will determine if he can have an impact as a starting pitcher, writes Sawchik. The veteran righty has pitched well this spring with 16 strikeouts, three walks, and no runs allowed in 10 innings. Nicasio is now a viable alternative to Jon Niese, Jeff Locke, or Ryan Vogelsong. However, he might be better suited for relief work since his velocity played up to 96 mph out of the Dodgers bullpen last season. He’s sat 92 to 95 mph this spring as a starter.
  • While pitching coach Ray Searage gets the credit for the Pirates ample success with starting pitchers, it’s an organization-wide philosophy, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittburgh Tribune-Review. Jim Benedict, now with the Marlins, helped to develop the philosophy. Now it falls to others in the organization like Double-A pitching coach Justin Meccage to continue implementing their proven techniques. While baseball strategy is important, Searage cites communication and trust as the keys to the Pirates Way.
  • The Pirates have changed their policy for pre-arbitration players after the brouhaha with Gerrit Cole, GM Neal Huntington said on MLB Network Radio. Huntington admits the policy was probably outdated before the incident with Cole. Previously, the club followed strict policies for setting pre-arbitration salaries. Teams do this to minimize the need for negotiations over relatively small amounts of money. A set policy can also help to avoid hurt feelings or disputes. Obviously, that wasn’t the case here.

NL Notes: Cole, Braves, Altherr, Klentak

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Last weekend, it was discovered that Pirates ace Gerrit Cole was displeased to have his contract renewed for the same pay as he earned last season. While Cole may be peeved by the lack of raise, it doesn’t mean he and the club don’t have common ground for an extension, writes Travis Sawchik of Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Former Phillies ace Cole Hamels made similar public comments back in 2008 before inking a three-year, $20MM deal for his arbitration seasons. Sawchik also relates a number of details about Cole’s specific situation as well as the players’ share of revenue league wide – it’s well worth a read.

  • The Braves rotation is a shadow of the unit that dominated the National League for over a decade, writes the associated press for the New York Times. The entire unit has issues. “Ace” Julio Teheran is coming off his worst major league season, and he’s the only lock for a job. As manager Fredi Gonzalez joked, there’s a wave of high profile arms, but they’re “out by the Marshall Islands.” Pitching prospects are notoriously fickle. Before the high ceiling talents get a chance to work in the majors, Atlanta fans will have to hope players like Matt Wisler, Mike Foltynewicz, and Bud Norris can show some sign of life.
  • Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr suffered a left-wrist injury on a diving play yesterday, writes Matt Breen of Philly.com. Altherr had the wrist in a splint today and has not received X-Rays yet. The former prospect is familiar with wrist injuries which sapped his development in late 2013 and early 2014. He doesn’t believe this round is anywhere as serious as his previous injury which required surgery. Altherr is widely expected to start for the Phillies after a breakout 2015 season. In my view, the club could option him if they preferred for him to ease into action in the minors.
  • For those curious about Phillies GM Matt Klentak’s playing background, Mike Sielski of Philly.com has the details. Klentak, 35, attended Dartmouth College where he played shortstop for head coach Bob Whalen – himself a friend of now-Mets GM Sandy Alderson. From there, it’s not a far jump to Moneyball. Klentak also offered a couple interesting quotes, including “Players will reach their ceilings when they’re playing confidently, when they’re in an environment that’s loose and that allows them to be the player that they want to be.“

Central Notes: Cole, Perez, Brewers, Villanueva

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Pirates GM Neal Huntington tells Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the club “made a mistake” in determining ace Gerrit Cole’s 2016 salary upon their initial take. “Gerrit’s base salary a year ago plus his bonus took him above our scale,” Huntington explained. “We initially did not incorporate the bonus that he earned last year for making the All-Star team. We made that adjustment, took him above our scale. Gerrit agreed. Unhappy with that. We understand that, we can empathize with him. At the same time there is a system in place that is negotiated by the union and by Major League Baseball.” Over the weekend, Cole voiced some displeasure with his modest salary, although the scale and the system to which Huntington alluded aren’t uncommon. Many clubs use algorithms based on service time and performance to determine the salary of pre-arbitration players, and the Pirates are simply acting as they would with any of their pre-arbitration players by adhering to that scale. (ESPN’s Buster Olney opines that the team would be wise to make a small concession on Cole’s behalf, suggesting a fairly marginal increase to $750K as a means of good will to acknowledge Cole’s importance to the club.) For those interested in reading more on the topic, MLBTR’s Zach Links examined the means by which pre-arb salaries are determined a couple of years ago.

Here’s more from the game’s Central divisions…

  • There’s positive movement on the negotiation front between the Royals and catcher Salvador Perez, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. The sides have long been working toward a new deal for the backstop, who made good on his low-priced, early-career extension. It certainly will be interesting to see what kind of contractual arrangement is arrived at if something gets across the finish line.
  • The Brewers’ center field situation is as wide open as spring battles get, and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel takes a look at where things stand. There are as many as nine plausible candidates to claim the Opening Day gig, with possible bench spots and minor league opportunities also at stake, so there’s plenty of intrigue to go around. Skipper Craig Counsell calls it a “roster puzzle” that needs to be solved, and Haudricourt provides plenty of preliminary clues in the interesting piece.
  • Cubs third base prospect Christian Villanueva suffered a broken right fibula during a Sunday workout and will miss several months recovering from the injury, reports MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat. Villanueva, who was expected to have surgery today, according to Muskat, was injured upon landing after leaping for a ball in play, said manager Joe Maddon. “It’s just crazy,” said Maddon. “It’s really unfortunate. This kid came in, ready to go. … It’s a tough break, literally, for him — he’s such a good kid.” Villanueva ranked 26th on MLB.com’s list of Top 30 Cubs prospects, though he’s fallen off Baseball America’s version of that same list after multiple prior appearances.

Pirates, Gerrit Cole Haven’t Talked Multi-Year Extension

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Over the weekend, Bucs ace Gerrit Cole made it known that he was unhappy about having his salary renewed for $541K.  As it turns out, the Pirates haven’t talked to him about a more significant raise, either.  The Pirates have not approached Cole about a multi-year extension, either in this year or in previous years, sources tell Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter).

[RELATED: Andrew McCutchen Wants To Spend Rest Of His Career With Pirates]

Cole, 25, turned in his best season yet for the Pirates in 2015.  The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft posted a 2.60 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 across 32 starts, earning his first All-Star nod and some votes for the NL Cy Young Award.  Despite cementing himself as one of the game’s brightest young arms over the last three years, the team has not come to Cole to discuss a new, long-term pact that would buy out his arb years or add team control past the 2019 season.

The Pirates have, in recent years, been amongst the game’s most aggressive teams in pursuing early-career extensions.  One has to wonder if the Pirates have been warded off by agent Scott Boras when it comes to discussing a new deal with their top pitcher, but it’s not as though Boras has never done a deal involving free agent years.  As MLBTR’s Extension Tracker shows, Boras has negotiated deals involving free agent years with notable clients including Jered Weaver, Elvis Andrus, Carlos Gomez, Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Pena, and Ryan Madson.

From the outside, one would imagine that Cole and outfielder Gregory Polanco represent the Pirates’ top extension priorities.  In the past, the Pirates have had extension talks with Polanco and the two sides were reportedly close on reaching a deal.  Even though those discussions seem to have been tabled, it’s evident that Pittsburgh is still in the business of working out multi-year extensions with its young talent.  To date, however, that group does not include Cole.

Pirates Notes: Revenue, Cole, McCutchen

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Earlier this evening, we heard from union chief Tony Clark on a variety of topics. Clark is also closely monitoring revenue sharing, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune. The MLBPA head was vague about any specific clubs they’re monitoring, saying things like “there may be teams that are of interest early that may not be late because of considerations that are being made.” The Pirates were once on the player union’s radar for not spending shared funds, but their recent on-field success probably has them in the clear – for now.

Here’s more from Pittsburgh:

  • Pirates ace Gerrit Cole is upset after the club renewed his salary for $541K, writes Biertempfel. Because Cole has fewer than three seasons of major league service, the Pirates can renew his contract at any rate – typically near the major league minimum. He played for $531K last season and received a $10K bonus for reaching the All Star Game. The team’s initial offer this year was for $538K, and they threatened a pay cut to the $507K league minimum when Cole expressed a desire for a raise. As Cole put it, “When you perform at a level that draws the praise of management, teammates, coaches and fans, you expect appropriate compensation. I understand the business of this game, but it is hard to accept that a year of performance success does not warrant an increase in pay.” The initial $538K offer was due to a team policy that caps raises at $7K for any player with fewer than three seasons of major league service. Cole does not want the situation to become a distraction for the team.
  • The Pirates have much to weigh when considering an extension to franchise icon Andrew McCutchen, writes Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune. The club can ill afford to make a costly mistake with a mega-extension. McCutchen is under contract for $48.5MM over three more seasons including a club option for 2018 ($1MM buyout). A seven-year extension would keep him in Pittsburgh through his age 38 season. The history of similar extensions is off putting. Sawchik finds a list of 16 players who signed nine-figure contracts under similar circumstances. Consider the names of David Wright, Joe Mauer, Ryan Howard, Ken Griffey Jr., Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, and Matt Kemp. Others like Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto, Troy Tulowitzki, and Evan Longoria could look just as bad in the near future. As former Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd explains, any massive extension has to be about more than just performance. If ticket and merchandise sales won’t cover an ugly back end of the deal, then the club may be best served to move on from McCutchen.

Pirates Notes: Joyce, Benedict, Cole

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It appears outfielder Matt Joyce, who recently signed to a minor-league deal, might have a good shot at making the Pirates out of camp. Joyce’s locker is in the same room as players already on the 40-man roster, despite the fact that he himself is a non-roster invitee, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets. Joyce himself, meanwhile, says that Pirates manager Clint Hurdle says the Bucs “see me as kind of like the fourth outfielder,” as MLB.com’s Adam Berry notes (via Twitter). Joyce does note that he’ll have to prove himself in camp. The Bucs’ three starting outfield spots are set with Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco, but there isn’t much depth behind them, with Jason Rogers, Jake Goebbert and Sean Rodriguez previously looking like they had the clearest shots at any spare playing time in the outfield. Rogers and Goebbert can both be optioned, however, and Rodriguez can play other positions. Here’s more on the Bucs.

  • Former Pirates pitching guru Jim Benedict could be the Marlins’ most important offseason acquisition, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The Pirates had already lost another executive, Marc DelPiano, to the Marlins when the Fish came calling for Benedict, so the two teams worked out a related deal in which Miami sent pitching prospect Trevor Williams to Pittsburgh as compensation. “The challenge becomes when that same organization continues to come back for people,” says Bucs GM Neal Huntington. “It becomes harder to lose somebody that has insight on your organization and who the talented people are in your organization. We do need to protect ourselves from being raided by a single organization or exploited by a single organization.” Huntington adds that while the organization will miss Benedict, the team retains “parts of what allowed him to be successful” — including, presumably, well-regarded big-league pitching coach Ray Searage.
  • Bucs starter Gerrit Cole is behind schedule in Spring Training due to a right rib inflammation, Biertempfel writes. The injury took place in mid-January. Obviously, the absence of their ace from an already dubious rotation would be a significant blow to the Pirates. The condition does not appear serious, however, as Cole is already throwing from flat ground and is expected to soon begin throwing from a mound. “It’s just a modified throwing program at this point,” he says. “I’m not too far behind everybody else, but I feel good.”

Pirates Notes: Morton, Pitching, Melancon, Niese, Nicasio, Kang

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The Pirates are one of several teams holding a FanFest today. Reporters, including MLBTR’s Charlie Wilmoth, were on hand for the Q&A with GM Neal Huntington. The Pirates’ GM admitted that today’s Morton swap was mostly about payroll relief, although the club does like David Whitehead.

Here’s more Pirates notes:

  • Today’s trade of Charlie Morton will likely instigate “multiple moves,” tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. After the move, the Pirates payroll is around $88MM with a target of about $105MM per Biertempfel (tweet). Huntington told reporters including MLB.com’s Adam Berry (tweet), “A big part of the motivation was to free some dollars to allow us to deepen the club, to reestablish some depth.“
  • Industry sources implied to Biertempfel (tweet) that pitchers like Scott Kazmir, Mike Leake, or others over $10MM per season are not on the Pirates radar. However, there is no doubt that at least one starting pitcher is on the agenda. The rotation presently consists of Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Jon Niese, and Jeff Locke. Presumably, the club prefers for Locke or Niese to fill a long relief role with Allen Webster serving as minor league depth. Top prospect Tyler Glasnow is not expected to reach the majors early in the season.
  • Closer Mark Melancon is expected to earn $10MM in arbitration per MLBTR estimates, but the club is under no pressure to trade him, tweets Biertempfel. The team could potentially get by in the late innings with Tony Watson, Arquimedes Caminero, and new acquisition Juan Nicasio. However, a bullpen with Melancon is certainly more robust. With the market for quality closers at a premium, Pittsburgh would find it difficult to replace Melancon. Per Huntington, “if somebody steps up and gives us a return that’s significant enough to motivate us to get a little bit uncomfortable, then we get a little bit uncomfortable.” (h/t to Wilmoth for the quote).
  • In commenting on Nicasio, Huntinton told Wilmoth, “We do think there are some things we can help him with. Now, is it going to be enough to make him a good starter? Time will tell. Is it going to be enough to make him a really good reliever? Time will tell.” The Pirates have developed a reputation as a haven for reclamation projects which could make Nicasio an interesting player to watch.
  • Comparing recent acquisition Jon Niese to the market, Huntington said “he’ll continue to put up numbers similar to guys who are getting sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety million dollars in free agency — we have three, essentially, one-year contracts with Jon Niese.” While Niese comes with less cachet than somebody like Mike Leake, it’s true that they project to perform similarly. As such, Huntington may very well beat the market with this swap.
  • Huntington says Jung-ho Kang is more likely to return in April than May, per Berry (tweet). If true, this is a lucky break for the club. They currently have some combination of Josh Harrison, Jordy Mercer, Alen Hanson, and Pedro Florimon penciled in for second base, shortstop, and third base. An injury or poor performance from Hanson could leave the club scrambling for reinforcements.
  • The Pirates will retrench in 2016 with an aim to contend again in 2017, writes John Perotto of the Beaver County Times. While the club will still pursue a postseason berth next year, they’ll have their eyes on developing top prospects like Josh Bell, Glasnow, and Jameson Taillon.

Quick Hits: Dombrowski, Fernandez, Harvey, Britton

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Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski discussed his team’s pitching search in an interview with Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (audio link here).  Dombrowski said that “any of” the top starters on both the trade and free agent markets “are under consideration for us” as the Sox are casting a wide net in looking for an ace.  “The [free agent] market is probably, as flush as it is…an area that we would pursue more, but I think that you’d feel comfortable that any names out there, you could say we have interest in them and hopefully somebody will have interest in us,” Dombrowski said.  When asked about Red Sox ownership’s recent reluctance to give long-term deals to pitchers, Dombrowski discussed the importance and necessity of keeping upper management informed about any major signing.  “I don’t think anyone really cherishes giving that long term of a contract to any pitcher in particular but it’s a situation [where]…if you’re going to participate, you’re most likely going to have to do that,” Dombrowski said.

Here’s some more from around baseball as we head into a new week…

  • “The lines of communication” between Jose Fernandez and the Marlins front office “have been good” as of late, sources tell ESPN’s Buster Olney (Insider subscription required).  This could be why neither side seems to be looking for a trade, despite some reports of personality issues between Fernandez and some teammates.  As Olney notes, there has never been any doubt of Fernandez’s passion for baseball, and some of the behavioral drama could stem from a franchise-wide lack of discipline caused by the Marlins’ unsettled managerial situation.  With a veteran skipper like Don Mattingly on board, things should theoretically be more stable within Miami’s clubhouse.
  • If the Marlins did want to deal Fernandez, Olney notes, it might better suit them to wait until next winter when the pitching market is less crowded.  The Mets could also be planning this same strategy for exploring Matt Harvey trades in the 2016-17 offseason.
  • Unless the Orioles get a huge offer, it probably makes more sense for the club to keep Zach Britton rather than shop him in trades, CSNMidAtlantic.com’s Rich Dubroff opines.  Dealing Britton would fetch some sorely-needed prospects for Baltimore, and also open some payroll space given Britton’s escalating price tag as he enters his arbitration years.  On the other hand, dealing the star closer would leave a big hole on a would-be contender, especially one that is already likely to lose a big bullpen arm in Darren O’Day.
  • Several young players have been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason, and MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince gives an overview of the some of the talents who could be trade chips rather than cornerstones for their respective clubs.
  • On the flip side, MLB.com’s Dan O’Dowd identifies Lorenzo Cain, Gerrit Cole, Jacob deGrom, A.J. Pollock and Marcus Stroman as players who have become big pieces of their clubs’ present and future, and all could be targeted for extensions this winter.  MLBTR’s Jeff Todd examined Cole as an extension candidate last March, before Cole boosted his value with a superb season.

Quick Hits: Cole, Drew, Vogt

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In case you’ve not noticed, Pirates righty Gerrit Cole has delivered on his promise — and then some — thus far in 2015. As things stand, he owns a 2.32 ERA with 9.5 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 and a healthy 55.3% groundball rate. The 2011 first overall pick has, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes, justified Pittsburgh’s decision to take him over a host of other strong options (though Anthony Rendon, Jose Fernandez, and Sonny Gray — among others — could also ultimately stake a claim as the best player from that productive draft). Jayson Stark of ESPN.com says that Cole represents the complete package on the hill, and may have upside that is yet to be fully tapped.

Here are some more stray links from around the game:

  • The Yankees plan to keep utilizing Stephen Drew despite his lackluster batting line, as Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports. Skipper Joe Girardi, who has deployed Drew around the infield, says that the quality of his at-bats have not yet shown up in terms of results but that a turnaround could be forthcoming. Lacking clear solutions up the middle, it makes good sense for the Yankees to give Drew every chance to succeed. If nothing else, as Feinsand notes, his quality defense makes him a useful utility player even if New York were to make an addition at the trade deadline.
  • ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Insider link) looks at the Athletics and where things could be headed for the club this summer. Despite the rough start, there are signs of promise, and the division could still be within reach. If a return to competitiveness is not forthcoming, however, Olney suggests that the club could market not only Ben Zobrist and Scott Kazmir, but also catcher Stephen Vogt. While Vogt is still going to be cheap for some time, that same fact — combined with positional scarcity and his outstanding production thus far (third in the league in both wRC+ and fWAR) — could make him quite an interesting trade piece. While Olney makes clear that he is just speculating, it is certainly an intriguing idea, and one that we can’t put past the always-creative Billy Beane.

Scott Boras On Gerrit Cole, Pedro Alvarez

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Scott Boras was on-hand in Pittsburgh yesterday to watch the Major League debut of client Addison Russell and one of Kris Bryant’s earliest games, but the agent also discussed a pair of other clients — Pedro Alvarez and Gerrit Cole — with local media. Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that Boras feels more confident these days that Pirates ownership has a strong desire to compete, and he’ll give the Bucs “an opportunity” to secure his clients as core members going forward.

Boras added that there have been no serious talks of a long-term deal with either player yet, and he also strongly refuted the notion that he discourages all of his clients from signing extensions before reaching free agency. “I always let players make their decisions,” said Boras. “People say I always go to free agency. I can give you 15 players that did not go to free agency.” While he’s correct in stating that his clients don’t all reach free agency as early as possible, the vast majority of them do. Nonetheless, notable examples (via MLBTR’s Extension Tracker) such as Jered Weaver, Elvis Andrus, Carlos Gomez, Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Pena and Ryan Madson each signed contracts that gave up free agent years in the guaranteed portion of their contracts.

It remains to be seen whether or not the team will express interest in long-term deals. Alvarez, in particular, may not be viewed as a long-term piece, as he’s seen his role reduced over the past year. The 2013 NL home run leader opened last year as the team’s everyday third baseman — a role he filled in both 2012 and 2013 — but he eventually lost playing time to Josh Harrison. Alvarez developed a serious issue in throwing over to first, making 25 errors in just 99 games at third last year, and he eventually slid over to first base. This year, he’s been platooned with Corey Hart at first base, batting .227/.277/.523 with all but three plate appearances coming against right-handed pitching.

Despite those defensive shortcomings, Boras unsurprisingly voiced a confidence that Alvarez could still be a serviceable third baseman at the Major League level. That, as Sawchik notes, may serve as a rift if the two sides do ultimately try to assess Alvarez’s long-term value. Alvarez would have more value as a third baseman, but the Pirates don’t seem to believe that he can handle that role, or, at the very least, recognize that they have a vastly superior defensive option in Harrison. Alvarez is slated to hit the open market following the 2016 season.

As for Cole, the budding ace can be controlled through the 2019 season, so the Pirates probably don’t feel a strong sense of urgency to complete a contract extension in the near future. Nonetheless, I’d imagine that Cole, along with Gregory Polanco, would be at the top of their list of players they hope to extend. The 24-year-old is off to an excellent start to his 2015 campaign, having worked to a 3.18 ERA with even more encouraging peripheral stats in an admittedly small sample. However, he’s worked to a 3.44 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 50.1 percent ground-ball rate since debuting as a 22-year-old back in 2012.

Madison Bumgarner currently holds the record for largest extension among starting pitchers with between one and two years of service time (Extension Tracker link) thanks to his five-year, $35MM contract in San Francisco. The record for pitchers with two to three years of service (Ext. Tracker link) remains Gio Gonzalez’s five-year, $42MM pact with the Nationals. I’d expect Boras to set his sights significantly higher if he were to have serious extension talks either during this season or next winter, as he’d surely look to obtain a premium price on any free agent years sacrificed by Cole.

Whether or not the two sides ever have serious discussions regarding either player seems to be largely up to the Pirates, based on Boras’ comments to Sawchik. “I don’t sign checks,” said Boras. “I’m in the back of the bus. … I get the message when the driver pulls over and says, ‘I need to talk to you.'”

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