Yankees ready to give up Hughes
NY Daily News reports that after a spirited debate, Yankee front office is ready to package Hughes, Melky and one other minor league pitcher for Santana. Apparently one person, presumably Cashman, had to be convinced but they were ready to pull the trigger.
The Yanks had declared Joba Chamberlain off limits, and the Twins told them that Ian Kennedy, the third of their three prized righthanders, wouldn't be enough. According to the club source, there was spirited internal debate in the organization via conference calls about whether to make Hughes available.
Among the prominent people on the calls were GM Brian Cashman in New York, and owner Hank Steinbrenner and superscout Gene Michael in Tampa. Though the club source wouldn't say who needed to be convinced, it is no secret that Cashman has wanted to build the team around young, homegrown players, and saw the three pitchers as the centerpiece.
In any case, the club finally agreed to put Hughes in a package that includes center fielder Melky Cabrera and at least one other lesser pitching prospect still to be negotiated, as of Friday night. And by doing so they believe they are the front-runners to land Santana, the two-time Cy Young winner.
With that development, the Yankees are the front runners in the Santana sweepstakes.I'm not happy about giving up Philly. I'm really not. I'm sorta on the fence about getting Santana only because so many big names have blown up in our faces before. I'd rather lose giving the kids a chance than watch another bloated salary come in and not perform. Hopefully I'm wrong and that doesn't happen.
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There's little danger of that
None of his peripherals have trended down (except a slight increase in WHIP). His K-rate, BB-rate, K/B, K/9,
Last year's ERA numbers were a fluke, since his hits & BB's changed very little over the 4 years.
He gave up more HRs than usual, his HR/F (Home Runs to Fly Balls ration) was at 15.6%
Anything significantly over 11% is considered to be caused by "luck".
Even ignoring all that, he was a two pitch pitcher all of the second half. I think he just shut it down after the Twins basically did nothing to keep them in the race during the trading deadline.
He's never been injured, has been a machine for the last 4 years and his K rates against major leaguers is absolutely sick.
Oh... he's 28. Not 38. Haren's 27, Peavy's 26 or 27, so you're not going to get a better pitcher.
Also, a lot of pitchers (Glavine, Ryan, Johnson) etc, experienced a blip going into their 30s before entering their most dominant phase.
I don't know how Santana can be more dominant, but all trends are favorable.
That being said. I would've loved a top 3 of Santana/Hughes/Joba. Now its Santana/Joba/Kennedy, which isn't bad. I hope the Yankees draft a pitcher and pay above slot again.
by randomize on Nov 30, 2007 9:29 PM EST 0 recs
Santana is 29 not 28
Personally, I will hate this move if it turns out to be true. I'd rather keep Hughes because it makes the most sense long term for this team.
Like A-Rod, Santana can't win a postseason series by himself.
by anaconda on
Nov 30, 2007 9:35 PM EST
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Okay fine...
That doesn't really change anything.
No injury history.
Sick peripherals.
His worst year (last year) was still better than nearly every pitcher out there.
Basically we're giving up Hughes + random parts (yes Melky and Horne count as random parts) for Santana.
If Santana can't win a series by himself, then neither can Hughes.
If we were giving up Hughes + Cano or Hughes + Kennedy, then you'd have an argument.
Its not the end of the world, although I would've preferred to hold on to Hughes :( and maybe gotten Haren for Kennedy +
by randomize on
Nov 30, 2007 9:38 PM EST
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And I'll bet
He's impatient, pokes his nose everywhere and is going to run this team into the ground if he gets his way. At least the Boss had enough sense to listen to Cashman sometimes.
I can't imagine how Cashman stands it... I guess the millions in salary help.
by randomize on
Nov 30, 2007 9:40 PM EST
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Are you schizo?
by SenorSwanky on
Nov 30, 2007 10:14 PM EST
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A poem:
Violets are blue
I'm a schizophrenic,
And so am I.
by Willton on
Nov 30, 2007 10:17 PM EST
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Lol..
Basically I'm torn over the trade.
I feel that Hughes is going to be great and would've loved to see Santana in pinstripes with Kennedy/Melky/Horne going the other way.
On the other hand, I know that if the trade goes through the Yankees have the best SP in the game for a blue chip prospect, 4th OF and spare parts.
And the reply to myself was to add the bit about Hank Stienberner.
by randomize on
Nov 30, 2007 10:20 PM EST
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I think we all are
Santana, with Wang, gives us the ability to roll out two very good pitchers at the front of the rotation while we sure up the back three spots and sort out the bullpen internally as opposed to externally. If we continue to acquire pitching in the draft, as there is a chance we could have multiple 1st Round or compensatory picks coming in the next several off-seasons.
by marcbouch9 on
Dec 1, 2007 9:36 AM EST
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Pitching in the AL East
They are paying for the dominant Santana of the last few years - not the one they will likely have over the next several years.
Good hitting lineups are going to find a way to hit him over time - just as the Tribe and Tigers did last season. Santana was 1-8 against those teams last season.
by anaconda on
Nov 30, 2007 10:00 PM EST
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Okay...
His WHIP (1.15), K/9 (~batter an inning), BB/9 (< 3.0) were all stellar.
The only thing that changed was the ERA which can be chalked up to unluckiness (fly balls becoming HRs), bad defense etc.
The W-L record tells us nothing.
Wang won more games than Johan, but he isn't even in the same stratosphere as Johan when it comes to stuff and pitching.
Don't kid yourself.
Losing Hughes is a blow that I hoped Yankees' would avoid, but if the deal goes through the Yankees get a Hall of Fame pitcher in his prime.
by randomize on
Nov 30, 2007 10:07 PM EST
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My Issues with this
We could essentially be trading a younger santana for an older santana. Theres no gaurantee that Hughes will be great, but theres no guarantee that Santana will be worth it either. These sick pitchers always come up through the second tier franchises because those franchises are never tempted to trade them away when they are young prospects for current stars.They lock them up for a reasonable price young, and then when they have gotten all they can out of them , they flip them over for a new bunch of youngsters.
On the other hand 9 months from now we could all be chanting joh-han and completely have forgotten about phil hughes.
If this deal goes through, hopefully the yankees were blowing smoke up everyones asses about hughes, but I was at the game in the alds when he came in against the indians and he looked dominant without having to break a sweat.
by seanp23 on
Nov 30, 2007 11:50 PM EST
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Nobody is comparing Wang and Santana
Santana won't be in his prime for long and he's probably not going to duplicate that same kind of dominance that he did in MIN.
You don't have to have the best pitcher in baseball [right now] to win a ring. The last Yankee dynasty is a perfect example of that.
It's the depth of the rotation that is going to give this team the best chance to win in October.
by anaconda on
Dec 1, 2007 1:31 AM EST
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Santana
You can certainlly question who the Yankees are giving up, and you can question the amount of money it will take to get him, but you cannot question what Santana will do for the duration of his contract barring injury.
Explain how adding Johan would affect the depth of the rotation in a negative way ? If the Yanks traded two of the Trinity for him your point holds, but to me, if today was opening day, it would go Wang, Hughes, Joba, Mussina, Kennedy (just so the 3 kids don't pitch back to back to back).
Add Johan and subtract Hughes and you have:
Johan, Wang, Joba, Mussina, Kennedy. Moving Wang from #1 to #2 makes the Yanks' rotation deeper.
Doesn't it ????
You are certainly entitled to be against this trade, but your line of reasoning should favor Hughes' future at a discount price vs. Santana's present at a bloated price.
I like Hughes a lot, but we are talking about the best pitcher in baseball. He is 29, not 40 and in need of back surgery.
by matthaggs on
Dec 1, 2007 3:27 AM EST
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Re: Santana
Here's something you're not taking into account.
The "middle-tier" prospect that will likely be included in this deal will probably be Horne - who is their next best starting prospect outside of the Trinity. We're not talking about Matt DeSalvo, Tyler Clippard, or Chase Wright. That's where the Yanks' depth would take another hit.
Horne is the next starter who will get a legitimate shot in the rotation and it will most likely be as soon as 2008.
I don't really care about Melky because his defense is overrated for the exception of his arm. That said, the trade will probably force the team to make another nonsensical move to replace him by spending more money.
Damon would assume the role of CF, but I'm not so sure the team will keep him out there in the long run and Jackson will not be ready to play with the big boys for at least another season.
As I've stated already, Santana to the Bronx could be the deciding factor in persuading Pettitte to return. I certainly hope so because that would instantly make the Yankee rotation as formidable as any in the league.
We'll see, but I think keeping Hughes is the wiser long term move for this club.
by anaconda on
Dec 1, 2007 4:51 AM EST
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Horne's success is even more
by LateInningRelief on
Dec 1, 2007 11:20 AM EST
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Ok
I know you don't need my advice, but you keep making that statement about depth and I keep scratching my head.
by matthaggs on
Dec 1, 2007 1:04 PM EST
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I agree 100%
Seriously people, this is going to be a huge win for the Yanks. Rather than daydreaming about the Cy Youngs that Hughes might (and much more likely will not) win, how about getting excited over the guy who should have three Cy Youngs winning a few more in pinstripes?
by pfistyunc on
Dec 1, 2007 8:00 AM EST
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How does this trade
by pfistyunc on
Dec 1, 2007 8:02 AM EST
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to pfistyons fear the evil empire
by 37 yanks1 on
Dec 1, 2007 12:57 PM EST
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Not good
by docgonzo on Nov 30, 2007 9:38 PM EST 0 recs
I agree completely
I hate to say it but the Yankee front office is getting played by Theo and the Red Sox.
My only hope now is:
- Gene Michael hasn't lost his touch with evaluating talent and Hughes turns out to be nothing special or an underachiever
- Getting Santana might really entice Pettitte to return for a legitimate shot at another ring.
- Santana throws everyone a curveball and rejects the trade (of course, Jessica Alba will show up on my doorstep in her nightie before that happens).
by anaconda on
Nov 30, 2007 9:50 PM EST
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Pettitte
I share your reluctance, but I'm more favorable to making this trade than you are. And this is still the stuff of rumors, so who knows what will actually end up happening.
by SenorSwanky on
Nov 30, 2007 10:21 PM EST
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the only thing
I would love for Andy to come back. Maybe he didn't like having to be "the guy" so much this past year...but I'm getting resigned to the fact he's not coming back.
I still hate losing Phil Hughes. For the longest time we've heard he's the ace of the Yankees future...and that almost no-hitter in Texas was just so great. I wanted to see what he has...and I still think he has the potential to be the best of the 3.
Sigh.
by bxgrl1 on
Nov 30, 2007 10:36 PM EST
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We don't know...
And I don't think we should all be so down on Andy right now. He isn't training, true. But nothing else in the NYT article which interviewed his dad suggests to me he's leaning towards retirement; all we know is he's mulling his options and just enjoying time away from baseball. And Jorge's comment that he is leaning against returning was followed up by an optimistic pledge that he could be persuaded to return.
by SenorSwanky on
Nov 30, 2007 10:49 PM EST
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a lot
by bxgrl1 on
Dec 1, 2007 7:51 AM EST
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anaconda's doesnt think theo and co serious about
falls thru go for bedard..
by 37 yanks1 on
Dec 1, 2007 1:06 PM EST
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Well,
Bedard is a nice option, but it would have to be Kennedy, Melky, and someone not named Horne, Jackson, or Tabata.
by marcbouch9 on
Dec 1, 2007 2:01 PM EST
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Suckered?
If the NYY can pull off this deal, its a steal.
Santana > Hughes
Melky = Replaceable
Other prospects -> inconsequential
I said before it would take Hughes and it seems I was right. I think it will take maybe 2 more prospects on top of Hughes & Melky. That seems like a fair haul for MIN.
I don't think BOS will match that.
I don't think LAA will match that.
I don't think NYM can match that.
Dodgers might be a wildcard in this.
If they get this done and Santana signed, the NYY have done the right NYY thing to do. That is, they bought the best talent there is with cash and pieces they don't have time to develop. Every year is a must win year for the NYY and this is the best way to win in 2008.
by KevinV on
Nov 30, 2007 11:47 PM EST
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I hate this mentality
Spoiled fans. Did we think that way in 1993?
by seanp23 on
Nov 30, 2007 11:55 PM EST
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You are right.
The NYY are the top of the food chain, they get other teams best players when they can't afford them anymore. That's why the NYY are always good: the most money and the expectation to win every single year. They are the villians in the eyes of every other team's fans and they are better off just acting that way instead of feigning that they are going to develop their own core of young stars. That really isn't possible unless you are willing to risk failure and accept that you will not win a championship every year.
by KevinV on
Dec 1, 2007 11:15 AM EST
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Dont get me wrong
As great as it is being a fan with a realistic expectation of winning it all every year, its equally frustrating when they dont. And recently they have not won it all while doing "the right yankee thing to do."
I agree that swapping largely unproven talent for the proven talent is a no brainer. But it does not guarantee a world series at the end of the year, which is the only flaw in your argument.
My point was that I dont like the mentality that the yankees MUST buy everything in the store because thats what the yankees do and its the only way to ensure success.
by seanp23 on
Dec 1, 2007 12:29 PM EST
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Yes, suckered
by docgonzo on
Nov 30, 2007 11:59 PM EST
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They made the trade with MINN
by pfistyunc on
Dec 1, 2007 8:05 AM EST
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Correct
by KevinV on
Dec 1, 2007 11:20 AM EST
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Not suckered,
At best, it's a dead heat.
by LateInningRelief on
Dec 1, 2007 11:26 AM EST
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Disagree
by marcbouch9 on
Dec 1, 2007 12:19 PM EST
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Reply
I think BOS was serious about their offer. Epstein would absolutely do Lester + Crisp + Prospects for Santana. That is cheap for Santana. Lester is not nearly as good as Santana, he isn't even projected to be that good. Besides, he is recovering from f'ing cancer. Crisp is an expendable piece who they were going to unload anyway. Just because Epstein is not willing to let the NYY have Santana for less that than he is willing to pay for him doesn't mean he's bluffing.
Besides, a rotation of Santana/Wang/Joba/IPK/Mussina is better than Wang/Hughes/Joba/IPK/Mussina.
It not only has more talent, but less risk because you can better predict the performance and count on getting more GS and IP.
If NY signs Rowand or Andruw Jones and Petite comes back, they would be the favorites to take the division again. That would be a hell of an off season.
by KevinV on
Dec 1, 2007 11:50 AM EST
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Santana
by Nan on Nov 30, 2007 11:26 PM EST 0 recs
That spelling is "enuf"...
by SenorSwanky on
Nov 30, 2007 11:42 PM EST
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I feel sick
by docgonzo on Nov 30, 2007 11:49 PM EST 0 recs
Ummm...
But I hate to do this. Its just no fun. I was really looking forward to watching the Big 3 develop together and pitch in the same rotation. There's nothing like home-grown players, even though its no sure thing that they'll become stars.
We follow these prospects for so long, and become so attached, that even when it makes our team better, it hurts to seem them go.
Its not like paying Santana is any money out of my pocket, but its just more fun to win with inexpensive home-grown players, in my opinion.
by kingrover on Dec 1, 2007 1:15 AM EST 0 recs
absolutely agree
by bxgrl1 on
Dec 1, 2007 7:53 AM EST
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Cusp of decline?
Santana has a decent chance to grab 2 or 3 more Cy Youngs. Even if he doesn't pull a Rocket and pitch until he's 45, there are easily 7 more productive, front-of-the-rotation years ahead of him.
by LateInningRelief on
Dec 1, 2007 11:28 AM EST
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Make the deal
Jason Isrinhausen, Paul Wilson, and Bill Pulsipher. Teams have been overhyping their prospects for years. Although I like Hughes, it is the right decision to trade unproven prospects for a proven, still pretty damn young at 29, lefty with 2 (should be probably 3) Cy Youngs and a 1.29 era at Yankee Stadium since 2003. How is it that everyone is so sure that Santana is going to breakdown (although there is no evidence of it) and that Phil Hughes isnt going to end up like those "cant miss" Mets prospects of the 90's?
by ymf on Dec 1, 2007 9:13 AM EST 0 recs
35 and 38
by ymf on
Dec 1, 2007 9:46 AM EST
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I would say
by marcbouch9 on
Dec 1, 2007 10:01 AM EST
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All speculation, rumors, and often fabrications
by ymf on Dec 1, 2007 9:20 AM EST 0 recs
well
second of all: I think the word was "presumably" Brian Cashman had to be convinced and that's a pretty good bet.
third of all: most of this stuff is coming across the wires too fast to "sell" newspapers. By the time I would go out and get a paper, everyone would know it.
fourth of all: if we stop we have nothing to talk about. We do understand it's speculation and rumor. We don't need to be told that.
So you stop.
Thank you for playing.
by bxgrl1 on
Dec 1, 2007 9:24 AM EST
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Why,
by LateInningRelief on
Dec 1, 2007 2:49 PM EST
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I'm sorry but
by bxgrl1 on
Dec 1, 2007 9:40 PM EST
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good bet
by ymf on Dec 1, 2007 9:31 AM EST 0 recs
This is a factor
Game 1: Johan Santana vs Chein Ming Wang
Game 2: Josh Beckett vs Joba Chamberlain
Game 3: Dice-K vs Phil Hughes
Game 4: Curt Schilling vs Mike Mussina/IPK
Game 5: Johan Santana vs Chein Ming Wang
Game 6: Josh Beckett vs Joba Chamberlain
Game 7: Dice-K vs Phil Hughes
**Note: Could replace Schilling with Buchholz or Lester (whichever stayed)
or if Yanks get him (for Hughes)
Game 1: Johan Santana vs Josh Beckett
Game 2: Chein Ming Wang vs Dice K
Game 3: Joba Chamberlain vs Curt Schilling
Game 4: IPK/Mike Mussina vs Buchholz
Game 5: Johan Santana vs Josh Beckett
Game 6: Chein Ming Wang vs Dice K
Game 7: Joba Chamberlain vs Curt Schilling (or Lester/Buchholz)
This all of course not including Pettitte in any way.
by ymf on Dec 1, 2007 9:54 AM EST 0 recs
ALDS
by ymf on
Dec 1, 2007 9:54 AM EST
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is this
by bxgrl1 on
Dec 1, 2007 10:21 AM EST
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I think
Basically if Boston gets him, the Yankees' are screwed unless Hughes and Joba turn into bona fide stoppers.
If the Yankees get him, its a draw when it comes to the rotation.
Of course, choke-Rod and company would still have to hit, something they haven't done much of since the 2004 ALCS.
I'd still take Boston to win in both cases.
by randomize on
Dec 1, 2007 10:26 AM EST
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hypothetical (which I said)
by ymf on
Dec 1, 2007 10:36 AM EST
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And its a factor
by ymf on
Dec 1, 2007 10:39 AM EST
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You know
He defined 'sustainability' as "getting the resources we need without sacrificing the ability of the next generation to acquire the resources they need."
I can make myself be ok with this deal- make myself consider it a fair trade- if the Yankee braintrust believes that they have not given up too much of the future.
Including Hughes and Melky in the deal had better bring the value of the third player down. I'm not in favor of giving up another MLB ready or nearly ready player.
Like many here, I'm gun shy. If anything goes wrong and Santana isn't all he's billed as, I know I'm going to be very very unhappy.
by jscape2000 on Dec 1, 2007 11:05 AM EST 0 recs
You're on the money j
Which is one reason I don't like the trade with Hughes as part of it.
by detroit yankee on
Dec 1, 2007 8:00 PM EST
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Boston
by SenorSwanky on Dec 1, 2007 2:34 PM EST 0 recs
Beckett sucked until this season?
by LateInningRelief on
Dec 1, 2007 2:51 PM EST
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I wouldn't say "sucked"
by marcbouch9 on
Dec 1, 2007 3:15 PM EST
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His 5.00 ERA
by jscape2000 on
Dec 1, 2007 3:15 PM EST
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He sucked for Boston
by SenorSwanky on
Dec 1, 2007 3:19 PM EST
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