December 15th, 2020: Torres, LeMahieu, Cortes, Bullpen Targets

Quick note: I’m planning to skip next Friday’s regularly scheduled post. Sorry for the short-ish notice, but Christmas snuck up on me. I will happily cover any breaking news, otherwise I’m going to lay low that day. Christmas morning is no time for baseball blog posts. Thanks as always for reading and your support. Let’s get to today’s thoughts.

1. On Gleyber Torres. The last few days have brought some Gleyber discourse and I figure it’s time to chime in. Let’s dig in piece by piece.

Torres “wasn’t in the best of shape” in 2020

During a YES Network appearance last week (video link), Brian Cashman admitted Torres was not in great shape when the abbreviated season began in July. Here’s what Cashman said:

“I think ultimately he struggled at the beginning of the (60-game season) because after Spring Training No. 1 was shut down into Spring Training No. 2, he wasn’t in the best of shape to start the second Spring Training. On his return from the shutdown, we spent a little bit -- first half of the season -- playing catch up. Maybe in the first 40 or 45 games of the season playing catch up. Once we got him back online and in shape we saw, towards the last 20 games including the playoffs, the Gleyber Torres we’re used to seeing.”

Cashman added the Yankees don’t consider 2020 representative of the real Torres. They think he’s really the 2018-19 version, and duh, of course he’s going to say that. Gleyber hit an underwhelming .243/.356/.368 (106 wRC+) during the regular season before going 10-for-23 (.435) with two homers, seven walks, and six strikeouts in the postseason.

Torres showing up to Summer Camp not in the best shape is disappointing but I doubt it was limited to just him during this bizarre season. As long as it doesn’t become a pattern -- there are no indications Gleyber has reported out of shape any other year of his career -- then whatever. I see this as a “don’t let it happen again” learning moment. Nothing more.

As to how much being out of shape impacted his season, it’s impossible to say. Is it the reason Torres was error prone at shortstop? The reason he slugged .368? I kinda hope it is, because being out of shape is easy to correct (in theory). It’s easier to get in shape than it is to learn how to play short or hit 30+ homers. Get in shape, Gleyber *pats on butt*.

Cashman says Torres is better at second

During the same YES Network appearance, Cashman also said Gleyber is a better second baseman than shortstop. ”He’s more than capable of playing short, but I acknowledge he is a better second baseman than a shortstop,” he said. Small sample alert: Torres is at -7 DRS and -4 OAA at second and -12 DRS and -11 OAA at short in a similar number of innings in his career.

I’ve said all I have to say about Gleyber at short already. Try it again next year, see how he handles it after a normal offseason and Spring Training (and in shape!), and figure it out from there. I wouldn’t make big decisions regarding the future of talented young players based on a 60-game season with bizarre circumstances. That’s a recipe for regret.

If they truly believe Gleyber is better at second than at short, “shouldn’t the Yankees want to move Torres off of short, and return him to the position where they think he is best?” Those are Ken Rosenthal’s words (subs. req’d), not mine, and my gosh, I couldn’t disagree more. That’s really, really oversimplifying things*.

The decision is not “Torres at second or short?” The decision is “Torres at second and Mystery Shortstop” or “Torres at short and Mystery Second Baseman.” The other guy is pretty important! Would you rather have Torres at short and DJ LeMahieu at second or Torres at second and, say, Andrelton Simmons at short? The latter would be better defensively but much worse overall. Give me the former.

* Rosenthal is a legend and I respect him greatly, but I can’t believe he wrote that about Torres in a notes column he led by floating the idea of the Dodgers signing J.T. Realmuto and moving incumbent catcher Will Smith to third base as an example of the way teams could be creative. I mean, dude.

Also, everything Cashman says is calculated. The Yankees are currently in contract negotiations with LeMahieu and the general manager going on television and more or less saying “we have a second baseman” is not a coincidence. That was a reminder to LeMahieu’s camp that the team could pivot to shortstops. They’re not limited to second basemen.

Does it matter? Will this work? Is this all dumb? Yes, it is all dumb, but just about everything Cashman says has a purpose. He said Torres was not in shape because he wants Torres in shape, and saying it publicly is different than saying it face-to-face. He said Torres is better at second because the Yankees don’t want to seem desperate in talks with LeMahieu.

Trading Torres?

Fortunately, there are no legitimate “the Yankees may trade Torres” rumors. It’s all idle speculation brought on by a slow offseason. Joel Sherman mentioned trading Torres as a way to “deal with the righty duplication, defensive downside” of the roster back in October. Jeff Passan went on Michael Kay’s show and mused about a Torres trade. Randy Miller has the transcript:

“If you have DJ LeMahieu at second base for the next four years, which is probably where it’s going to wind up being, you’re not going to have Gleyber Torres (at second base),” Passan said. “And let me ask you, is Gleyber Torres the New York Yankees’ shortstop for the foreseeable future? Let’s say you hold on to him for a year (at shortstop) and it’s not what you want. All of a sudden, you’re trying to trade him (next winter) in a market with potentially five franchise shortstops.

“So the value that he would have (this winter) in a scenario where there aren’t those types of guys necessarily ... I almost wonder if dealing Gleyber Torres at this point is a more prudent thing.

“If so, what are you going out and getting? You’re trying to get young uncontrollable starting pitching, and maybe you sign a (shortstop) to a one-year deal as a bridge there. I don’t know what the right answer is here.”

The right answer would be keeping Torres and trading Luke Voit because LeMahieu can play first, or trading Gio Urshela because LeMahieu can play third too. The scenario Passan presented is not all that sensible. You don’t trade a player as young and as talented as Gleyber because the trade market for shortstops might not be good next winter. Like, what the hell? Everyone is losing their marbles this offseason.

Gleyber is literally the last player in the organization I’d trade. I’d trade Aaron Judge (great but hurt all the time and two years away from free agency) before I’d trade Torres. I’d trade Gerrit Cole (owed huge money through decline years) and Jasson Dominguez (still zero pro games!) before I’d trade Torres. I’d let LeMahieu walk before I’d trade Torres too.

You should always always always listen to trade offers for your players, even your best players. It costs nothing to listen and you never know when someone will offer their Scott Kazmir for your Victor Zambrano. It’s just really hard for me to see a scenario in which trading a star 24-year-old middle infielder makes the Yankees better in the short-term when the short-term is the priority.

Getting a young pitcher for Torres is a fine idea, except the injury risk is huge. It’s one thing to trade a position-less Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda, or three prospects trending down for Sonny Gray. It’s another to trade a player who put up 65 home runs and two +3 WAR seasons before his 24th birthday for a Mystery Pitcher. You’re the Yankees. Spend money. If the pitcher gets hurt, it’s easier to swallow a few lost dollars than it is giving up Torres.

I get it, there’s nothing happening and people want to talk baseball, so the conversation shifts toward trading various players. Happens every year. Also, Torres is no longer the shiny new toy, and people are bored and ready to move on to the next big thing. That’s the way it goes. Trading Gleyber is one of those ideas I just can’t get on board with right now.

2. Hot stove rumblings. The hot stove continues to run cold -- the Royals being the most active team (they’ve signed Greg Holland, Mike Minor, Carlos Santana, and Michael Taylor to big league contracts) says a lot about this offseason -- and there’s not a whole lot going on with the Yankees at the moment. Here’s the latest.

Yankees, LeMahieu more than $25M apart

The Yankees and DJ LeMahieu are more than $25M apart in their contract talks, according to Brendan Kuty. During an MLB Network appearance over the weekend (can't find the video, sorry), Bob Nightengale said LeMahieu is seeking five years and $100M while the Yankees are offering four years and $75M. “The years are right. The money is wrong,” Kuty hears from his source.

"We're going to try to keep him here," Brian Cashman said during a recent YES Network interview (video link). "He loves playing in New York, loves playing for the New York Yankees and our fan base, and he clearly loves his teammates. There's a lot of things in our favor, but ultimately, it comes down to the financial opportunity that we provide, as measured to the financial opportunities that others are providing."

Four years would take LeMahieu into his age 35 season -- he’d turn 36 in July of the fourth year -- and is a year more than I would prefer, but if that’s what it takes to get him back and maximize the chances of a World Series title within the next year or two, so be it. The money is whatever. That’s a gap that can be bridged and $25M-ish is the extra year moreso than some huge divide in annual salary.

If the Yankees cave and give LeMahieu the fifth year, I imagine it would come at a lower annual salary. They seem to have done the “trade an extra year for a lower luxury tax hit” thing a few times, most notably with Chase Headley and Adam Ottavino. Will another team step in and give LeMahieu the fifth year at a market rate salary? As good as he is, it would surprise me.

There is a total lack of urgency this offseason and not just with the Yankees. The Mets hired a new general manager after the Winter Meetings, MLB still hasn’t finalized rules for 2021, none of the top free agents have signed, so on and so forth. No one is in a rush to do anything. I’d bet on the Yankees and LeMahieu waiting each other out a little longer, likely into the New Year.

"We have good intentions when it comes to DJ LeMahieu and trying to re-sign him, and I think he has the same on his end," Cashman added. "Free agency is very complicated and tricky. It's a competition. The dance and the conversations will continue. We certainly hope for a positive outcome, but it's also possible that there isn't one, so we'll just have to wait and see."

Cortes rejoins Yankees

Welcome back, Nestor Cortes. You’re the new No. 3 starter (I kid, I kid). Cortes announced on Instagram that he’s rejoined the Yankees, presumably on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. As far as we know, this is the team’s first non-roster signing of the offseason. The man of many deliveries (GIF via @Jomboy_) …

… allowed 14 runs in 7.2 innings with the Mariners this past season. He elected free agency after being outrighted off the 40-man roster in October. The Yankees traded Cortes to Seattle for international bonus money in a 40-man roster cleanup move last November.

Cortes, 26, is a quintessential Quad-A pitcher. He has a 6.72 ERA (6.69 FIP) in 79 career big league innings and a 3.11 ERA (3.18 FIP) in 205.1 career Triple-A innings. He's not good -- he can be fun to watch, but he’s not good -- and will probably serve as the veteran innings guy at Triple-A, assuming there’s something resembling a normal Triple-A season next year.

The Yankees have zero lefty bullpen depth behind Aroldis Chapman and Zack Britton, who are locked into late inning roles. Maybe that means Cortes will get a look as a short reliever? The way I see it, one of two things will need to happen for him to see considerable time in the Bronx in 2021: Cortes is having the season of his life, or things are going horribly wrong for the Yankees.

3. Bullpen reclamation projects. The Yankees non-tendered Jonathan Holder earlier this month, giving them some roster flexibility in the bullpen. Five spots are accounted for (Zack Britton, Luis Cessa, Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green, Adam Ottavino) and a sixth might be as well (Jonathan Loaisiga). That leaves two spots to play with.

Chances are those spots will be revolving doors. Relievers will get shuttled up and down as performance and workload necessitates. Mike King, Brooks Kriske, Nick Nelson, and the out of options Albert Abreu will all figure into the bullpen at some point. Maybe Deivi Garcia and Clarke Schmidt (and Alex Vizcaino) as well, depending on the rotation situation.

The Yankees could also use a bullpen spot on a veteran reclamation project. A pitcher coming off a down or injury-interrupted year and looking to show he still has something to contribute. I’m not sure the last time the Yankees signed a reliever like that, to be honest. Luis Ayala in 2011, maybe? Here are a few potential bullpen reclamation project targets.

LHP Ross Detwiler

I like Detwiler more than I should. The No. 6 pick in the 2007 draft has bounced around throughout his career, and over the last two seasons he had a 5.85 ERA (5.61 FIP) with 16.2% strikeouts in 32.1 innings as a reliever with the White Sox. Opponents hit .305/.359/.511 against him. Yikes! The thing is, Detwiler wouldn’t be a reclamation project if his numbers were good.

There are two things I like about Detwiler. One, his fastball really pops in relief. He’s sat in the 89-91 mph range as the starter recently but 92-95 mph as a reliever, with a better than average spin rate too. Detwiler threw more sinkers than four-seamers the last two years and I’m not sure why, but I’d like to see him focus on that four-seamer and try to miss more bats.

And two, Detwiler picked up a slider late in 2019 and it showed real promise in 2020. It’s a hard mid-80s slider, and when he really breaks off a good one, it looks like an Andrew Miller slider (video link).

Detwiler doesn’t break off enough good sliders though. The heat map of his slider locations the last two years is, uh, not great:

Generally not where you want to throw sliders, Ross. This is a new pitch though -- Detwiler did not throw a slider in a big league game until July 2019, in his 194th career appearance. He trusts the slider enough that he threw it more than any other pitch this past season. I’m curious to see what it looks like with another offseason of work and a normal Spring Training.

Detwiler, 35 in March, has signed a minor league contract each of the last five offseasons and there’s no reason to think this offseason will be different. The Yankees have no lefty relief depth behind Britton and Chapman, so give Detwiler a non-roster invite, see what he looks like as a four-seamer/slider reliever, and evaluate. There’s enough talent here that it just might work.

RHP Oliver Drake

The Rays have had a pitching staff with many different release points the last two years and Drake was an important part of it. He’s a 6-foot-4 righty with an extreme over-the-top release point. It’s so extreme that he releases the ball closer to first base than Britton, a 6-foot-3 lefty (full-size image).

Drake, 34 next month, is essentially a lefty specialist. His low-to-mid-90s fastball is a show-me pitch. He makes his money with a nasty mid-80s splitter that dives down and away from lefties, similar to Tommy Kahnle’s changeup. He’s a right-handed lefty specialist. Drake’s numbers the last two years:

• vs. RHB: .211/.321/.509 (.342 wOBA) with 30.4 K% and 13.3 BB%
• vs. LHB:  .156/.202/.230 (.187 wOBA) with 27.9 K% and 5.4 BB%

Biceps tendinitis limited Drake to 11 innings this past season, and he suffered a flexor strain in Game 1 of the ALDS. The Rays dropped him from the 40-man roster after the series -- they had to clear a 40-man roster spot for Jose Alvarado, who came off the 45-day injured list -- and he elected free agency soon thereafter. There’s been no update on his flexor issue since.

Between the injuries and his journeyman status -- Drake has played for seven teams and was claimed off waivers five times (!) between May and November in 2018 -- it’s hard to think he will get a guaranteed Major League contract this winter. If he’s healthy, I say give him a non-roster invite, and see whether he can replace Kahnle as the middle innings lefty matchup guy.

RHP Keone Kela

Going into 2020, the Pirates had themselves a Grade-A piece of trade bait in Kela. He’s been great the last few years (2.84 ERA and 3.20 FIP with 31.1 K% from 2017-19) and Pittsburgh is really bad, and the last thing a really bad team needs is a great closer, especially one who was going to become a free agent after the season. Trade him. Trade him as fast as you can.

Unfortunately for the Pirates, Kela missed the first three weeks of the season with a positive COVID-19 test, then he went down with a forearm strain after three appearances. They barely got him back in time to showcase him before the Aug. 31st trade deadline, then they couldn't trade him because he got hurt. Bummer. That’ll set the rebuild back some, potentially a lot.

Kela is young -- he turns only 28 in April -- and he has extensive experience as a late-inning reliever. When healthy, he’s a mid-to-upper-90s fastball guy with a sharp curveball, and every once in a while he’ll flip in a changeup to lefties. Beyond the injuries, the downside is Kela has a reputation for being ornery. He’s gotten into fights with opponents and coaches.

There have been no updates on Kela’s injury -- forearm strains are a common precursor to Tommy John surgery -- and my guess is he’s too good to be considered a reclamation project. Some team will give him a guaranteed one-year “prove yourself” contract this winter, and see whether he can rebuild value and be kept long-term or traded for a prospect at the deadline.

The Yankees should check in because they should always check in on talented players, though I don’t think they want to spend much on a reliever given the current bullpen. If there’s a bidding war to sign Kela, it’s hard to see the Yankees going all-out to win it. If he’s still unsigned come the start of Spring Training, then that’s another matter. Then it might work.

RHP Kirby Yates

Former Yankee Kirby Yates, of course. Yates was an up-and-down arm with the 2016 Yankees (5.23 ERA and 3.97 FIP), and they lost him on waivers to the Angels in a 40-man roster cleanup move after the season. The Angels then lost him on waivers to the Padres in April 2017. Yates was good with San Diego in 2017 (3.72 ERA And 3.50 FIP) before breaking out in 2018.

Yates broke out thanks to a splitter he first started toying with while with the Yankees, but didn’t throw in games until 2017. Masahiro Tanaka had a hand in Yates picking up the pitch. From Marc Carig (subs. req’d):

At the time, the Yankees had three pitchers who threw the splitter: Chasen Shreve, Nathan Eovaldi and Tanaka. Yates looked for guidance with settling on a grip. It was with Tanaka that he found the most similarity, even though their conversation was brief. It wasn’t the first time that Tanaka had fielded questions about the splitter, which he has struggled to command this season.

“To be honest with you, I know a lot of guys have come to me and we’ve talked about the splitter,” Tanaka said through an interpreter. “Honestly, I don’t remember the actual conversation that I had with Kirby. But it’s usually how you grip it and how you release it.”

From 2018-19, Yates had a 1.67 ERA (1.93 FIP) with 38.7% strikeouts and 6.1% walks. Only Josh Hader (.236 xwOBA) suppressed quality contact better than Yates (.244 xwOBA) those two years. Yates was spectacular. This past season though, he allowed six runs in 4.1 innings before needing season-ending surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow.

Yates had surgery in late August and that should give him plenty of time to get ready for Spring Training (Tanaka had a bone spur removed last October and he was ready to go for camp). He was so outrageously good from 2018-19 that I think teams will look at 2020 as a blip brought on by the bone spurs, and view Yates as a legitimate late-inning option right away.

MLBTR ($5M) and FanGraphs crowdsourcing ($7M) see Yates signing one-year contracts and I think a lot of teams will be in on him at that price. I think two years is doable. As I said earlier, I don’t think the Yankees will want to spend much on a reliever this winter, so Yates is probably out of their price range. But man, I’d love to add him to the bullpen, especially since the Yankees wouldn’t absolutely need him to be great right away. They can ease him back into action.

4. Remembering a random Yankee: Alex Graman. This week’s random Yankee is one of several pitching prospects who flamed out in the early-to-mid-2000s. Here's the random Yankee archive. You can find links back to everyone we've covered there.

The Yankees selected Graman out of Indiana State in the third round of the 1999 draft. A strong pro debut with short season Staten Island (2.99 ERA in 81.1 innings) and an impressive first half with High-A Tampa in 2000 made him a popular name at the trade deadline. The Cubs wanted him in Sammy Sosa trade talks and the Rangers wanted him in Juan Gonzalez trade talks.

The Yankees held on to Graman and Baseball America (subs. req’d) ranked him the fifth best prospect in the system heading into 2001. He was behind Nick Johnson, Alfonso Soriano, D’Angelo Jimenez, and Adrian Hernandez. Here’s a snippet of their scouting report:

Graman is a legitimate four-pitch pitcher, with a great package for a lefthander, starting with a low-90s fastball that can touch 94 mph. With his frame, he's still projectable and could add more velocity. He's fearless when it comes to throwing his changeup behind in the count, has good bite on his curveball and puts hitters away with his splitter. Graman needs to improve his command, mostly of his pitches but also of his emotions … With his stuff, he might be ready should the Yankees need him toward the end of the season, though a 2002 ETA is more likely.

Graman underwhelmed with Double-A Norwich in 2001, throwing 166.1 innings with a 3.52 ERA and 138 strikeouts. The White Sox wanted him in David Wells trade talks at the deadline, but again, the Yankees resisted. Baseball America dropped Graman to No. 12 in the system after that, then to No. 22 after 174 innings with a 4.14 ERA at Double-A and Triple-A in 2002.

In 2003, Graman dropped off the prospect radar almost entirely. He had a 4.48 ERA with 110 strikeouts in 142.2 innings with Triple-A Columbus that year, and he wasn’t so in demand at the trade deadline anymore. Graman returned to Triple-A to begin 2004 but did not stay there long. He was called up when Jon Lieber and Jorge De Paula went down with injuries in April.

“This is unbelievable,” Graman told George King after being summoned to the big leagues. “It’s a dream just to come (to Chicago to face the White Sox).”

Graman made his MLB debut on April 20th and it was ... eventful. The Yankees scored seven runs in the top of the first inning against Mark Buehrle, giving Graman a nice big early lead, but a 72-minute rain delay interrupted the second inning. Graman allowed a run in the first, a run in the second, then three runs in the third after the delay. He allowed five runs in 2.2 innings.

“I didn’t hold the lead, and that was poor pitching,” Graman told King. Despite the early 7-0 lead, Joe Torre had to use his trusted late-inning relievers (Paul Quantrill, Tom Gordon, and Mariano Rivera) for four innings combined to nail down the 11-8 win.

The Yankees originally planned to start Graman against the Red Sox five days later, but that didn’t happen. They moved him to the bullpen -- Graman allowed one run in two innings three days after his debut -- and instead started Javy Vazquez on short rest in Graman’s place. It was only April, but the Yankees started slow, and they were already getting desperate.

"The only message I want to send anybody is to beat them. That's our job,” Torre told Don Amore about starting Vazquez on short rest over Graman. "We felt this was our best option. We wouldn't do it if we didn't have the off-day Monday. It doesn't disrupt things, and we can give Javy an extra day for his next start. We couldn't do this if Javy didn't feel good about it."

The Yankees were swept at home by Boston that weekend (Vazquez threw six innings in a 2-0 loss) and Graman was sent back to Triple-A. He returned as a reliever in July, gave up five runs and got one out against the (Devil) Rays on July 19th, then was sent back down. The Yankees did not give Graman a Sept. call-up. He allowed 11 runs in five big league innings in 2004.

Despite pitching well in Triple-A in 2004 (3.37 ERA in 131 innings). Graman reached a career crossroads in 2005. He was 27 and not yet established at the MLB level, and he did not have a defined role with the Yankees beyond “depth arm.” The Yankees sent him back to Triple-A and eventually moved him to the bullpen. He returned to the Bronx that July.

“I had a call with Brian Cashman and he said they were making the switch, and that’s what they did,” Torre told King when asked about Graman being recalled to replace Wayne Franklin, one of Torre’s favorites. “I have a great deal of respect for Brian. He said this is what we are doing and that’s what we are doing … You will have to ask Brian (why we made the switch).”

Graman’s second and final stint with the Yankees lasted four days. He allowed one run and got one out against the Angels on July 23th, and one run in one inning against the Twins on July 27th. The Yankees sent Graman back to Triple-A after that, and two weeks later, they released him. He owns the highest ERA in Yankees history (minimum five innings).

1. Alex Graman: 18.47 ERA (13 runs in 6.1 innings)
2. Darrell May: 16.71 ERA (13 runs in 7 innings)
3. Rosy Ryan: 16.50 ERA (11 runs in 6 innings)
4. Sam Gibson: 15.00 ERA (10 runs in 6 innings)
5. Ricky Bones: 14.14 ERA (11 runs in 7 innings)

“From time to time I think back to when I made my MLB debut and I can’t believe it was for the Yankees and getting a chance to play in the old Yankee Stadium,” Graman told John Patishnock in 2013. “Not to mention all the current and future Hall of Famers I got a chance to meet. It is a moment I will never forget.”

Graman hooked on with the Reds shortly after being released and allowed nine runs in 23.1 innings at Triple-A the rest of 2005. He headed overseas after the season and signed with the Seibu Lions in Japan. Graman spent six years with Seibu, mostly as a reliever -- he saved 31 games with a 1.42 ERA in 2008 -- before injuries ended his career in 2012.

5. Rapid fire thoughts. Great moments in putting the cart before the horse: MLB is close to selling the Wild Card Series exclusive broadcast rights to ESPN, report Andrew Marchand and Joel Sherman. The Wild Card Series doesn’t exist, of course. Officially, it was a one-time deal between MLB and the MLBPA for the shortened 2020 season. No plans have been finalized to expand the postseason going forward, yet MLB wasted no time selling those broadcast rights. We still have no idea whether the universal DH will be a thing in 2021, but MLB is already making sure they’ll cash in on a postseason round that doesn’t exit … And finally, the Cleveland Indians are changing their name, effective 2022 (you’re on the clock, Braves). Cleveland has not picked a new name yet. Cleveland Spiders is pretty cool and I don’t think the history will be a dealbreaker, plus MLB loves recycling team names (Mets, Nationals, Senators, etc.). Maybe they’ll go with the Cleveland Rock Stars to tie in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, or the Cleveland Great Lakers? Something like that. The franchise has been around forever. I say go old school and call them the Cleveland Nine, and keep the current color scheme and block C logo. Boring? Yes. More thought than I’m willing to put into another team’s name? Also yes.

(Send your requests for Tuesday's random Yankee series and questions for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com.)