 We'll start with Meredith. Meredith, you have a couple questions for Zach. Zach, I hope you and the family are well. I just wanted to get started by asking you, what's it like to be back at Yankee Stadium? It's definitely exciting. You know, stand out there watching guys take BP just a second ago. Guys throwing bullpens. It's just nice to get back in the swing of things a little bit. And you get this thing started. What have you been doing to stay prepared for this moment, knowing that there would eventually most likely be baseball? You know, for me, it's just been continuing to work out at home, you know, throwing bullpens, playing catch, trying to simulate a type of spring training at home. Obviously with things shut down, it hasn't been very easy, but the best that I can just maintaining, getting off the mound as much as possible, facing hitters when that was available to me. But for the most part, just keeping my arm in shape. And now I'm going to use these next few weeks to make sure I'm ready to go when we face teams. Right now, how far off do you feel from being game ready and what will your schedule be moving forward? Actually, I feel good. I feel like if we had to play right now, I could pitch and be fine, just based on the work that I've done at home. But I'll definitely benefit from these next couple of weeks. Like getting back in the competitive atmosphere again, I think that's the biggest thing for guys, being at home and away from Major League Stadium and Major League Calibur players. Just getting back in the swing of things. As for schedule, I'm not really sure. I think I'm going to face some hitters on Sunday. I believe a lot of the testing results are still coming in. So I want to say our first workout might be tomorrow and then we're going to start scheduling guys. So not everyone has their schedule right now. I'm still waiting on that. Nathan, Yankees Magazine, can you unmute and ask your question? Hi, Zach. You guys are obviously a very close-knit group. How tough is it just to see everybody again for the first time in a while, I guess, and I presume not be able to go up and give a guy a hug or whatever? Yeah, it's definitely different. We knew it was going to be different, obviously, coming into it. But yeah, it's been a while. Normally, in a year where, I guess you would say, a normal year, we would have been together for quite a bit of time already. So it's good to see everyone. We've stayed in communication daily as a team, but it's good to see guys in person. And like I said, get back on the field with everybody. Brendan Cuddy, nj.com, if you can unmute. Zach, good to see you. Hope you're well. Thanks for taking the time. Thank you. I appreciate it. You were the point man for Yankees players throughout the back and forth between the owners and the players you were, you know, involved in these negotiations, or at least you were very looked in, with them in your rear view mirror, how do you view those negotiations and from the player's perspective, how do you feel, how do you view the relationship you guys have with the owners, with the league right now? Yeah, obviously the negotiations, you know, obviously were really public. And unfortunately they were public. We wanted to keep that as behind closed doors as much as possible. But, you know, now that we're back playing, and that's really my focus right now is playing. And that was the end goal for us as a union anyway, was getting back on the field when it was safe to do so. And obviously, you know, all the stuff that was in between with the negotiations, you know, it was a difficult time, I think, for the game. You know, I think the best thing for us moving forward as players in the game in general, the owners, is just getting back playing baseball. Obviously, you know, we didn't come to an agreement, so there's other things that could take place, you know, throughout this season. But, you know, we're just happy to be back playing together, you know, as a team. And I think I've talked to a lot of teams outside of ours, and everyone's just back to, you know, excited to be back to playing baseball and all that other stuff. You know, we're going to let Tony Clark and Bruce Meyer handle that from here on out. I don't know if that's going to be a loop, but for anything going forward, you know, that stuff's going to be through Tony and Bruce. Thank you, Zach. Hey, Bet. Pete Caldera, Bergen record. You can unmute and ask Zach a question. Hey, Zach, just curious, how much input did the players have on this 2020 revised schedule and what's, what's your thinking about having to go back to places in Florida, like Tampa or Miami, where the COVID numbers have been spiked? Yeah, you know, MLB obviously had a lot of power on creating the schedule. We did have input. I can't say for certain, like, how much of it we did, but the majority of the scheduling went through MLB. And I think for guys going back, my opinion, obviously this, I don't speak for everyone in the club. My opinion is that I feel like MLB, our team especially, I know how is going to do everything in his power to keep us, you know, healthy and safe. We're going to go above and beyond any requirements that are going to need to be made. So for me, I'm not hesitant to go back into, you know, Tampa or anything like that. I know that the Yankees will take care of us. Next question from Ron Blum, if you can unmute Associated Press. Hey, Zach. Given everything that happened in these negotiations, just in a pandemic, does it make you more concerned that a lockout might be unavoidable when it comes to spring training 2022? You know, I know we don't have a lot of time before the next CBA, but, you know, I'm not going to say that these negotiations are directly going to impact that in the same way. I think this was a very unique situation where no one's ever had to deal with this from the owner's side or the player's side before. So hopefully in the next few months we'll have good conversations over the next CBA. And, you know, avoid any situation like a lockout, but I can't hear and sit here and say anything concrete on that end, but, you know, my hope is that we would avoid anything like that and continue to play baseball and avoid any type of situation where there's a lockout. And looking ahead, as you look at the structure that occurred this year, is there any thought to maybe not being in a situation where two of the eight members of the Executive Subcommittee during negotiations weren't on 40-man rosters? You know, I think that some will have those talks internally. I understand the question, but those guys, they were elected onto the board when they were on Major League rosters at the time. So that's something that maybe the union will look into, you know, as we go forward in the next CBA. Thank you. Yeah, you bet. Marley Rivera, if you can unmute ESPN, go ahead and ask Zach a question. Hi, Zach. Thank you very much for taking the time. You bet. You addressed this in the spring and, you know, playing in front of no fans. Now this is going to be a reality. When you got to the stadium and you were working out there in the bullpen and everything, did you think about that? About what it's going to be like to play this season? You know, I mean, obviously your owner said that he hopes at some point to have fans in the stands, but obviously there's no guarantee. Yeah, you know, just to kind of reiterate what House said, I mean, I think we all hope that we can have fans in the stands in some capacity at some point. You know, I thought about it a lot up until this moment of when I played the no-fan game in Baltimore and it was something that I remember directly saying after the game, I hope I never have to do this again. So it's going to be a challenge. I've spoken to, you know, some guys in our team about it, what it felt like. And it's something that we're going to talk about again here in the next couple of days, but it's going to be a challenge. You know, the guy, I think the team that can self-motivate the best is going to be the team that comes out on top. I honestly do believe that it might not be the most talented team this year. I think it's going to be the guys that can come to the ballpark and, you know, not be relying on the adrenaline that the atmosphere would give you in that environment, but be able to self-motivate and, you know, accomplish what they want to accomplish. I truly believe it's going to be that team this year that wins it. Zach, is there like a moment when you forget that there's no fans? Was it easy or was it, you know, it absolutely was just so weird that you were conscious the entire time? No, I was conscious of it the entire time. I think the game broadcasts, I always say that I could hear Gary Thorn broadcasting every pitch I threw. And I'm not sure what the situation is like this year, but I think if that's the case, there's going to be no way that you can avoid it just because, you know, everything echoes in an empty stadium. But you're going to do your best to block it out. And I think obviously now doing it for, you know, who knows how long, how many games we're going to play in front of no fans. I think it's something that you'll be able to adjust to at some point. But initially I think it's going to be a challenge for guys. Thank you, Zach. You're welcome. Kristi Acker, New York Daily News. You can unmute and ask a question. Hi, Zach. I was wondering what it's like out there today. I'm watching it on Yes, and it seems a little surreal. I'm just curious what it felt like to be out there and how do you get used to that? Yeah, it was different. You know, you're trying to respect everyone's space. Obviously, you know, keeping our masks on, you know, in the clubhouse, obviously taking those off when we're doing baseball activity and things like that. But I think everyone's just being conscious of giving everyone their space. And, you know, I think as we go forward, it'll be a little bit more comfortable to do that, to wear the mask every day, all day. And obviously not on the field, but to, you know, give people their space. I'm just so used to going up to each other, you know, and being in close proximity to each other throughout the season, even in the locker room, right? You guys, like, we all sit next to each other in the locker room, things like that. It's just going to be an adjustment period. But I think if anything, I was just excited to be back in Yankee Stadium with my teammates. It's been a long time. Also, you have a young family. Is this going to be any different for you in terms of how you handle this season? Yeah, you know, there won't be with me this year. I think I've said this before, I understand. There's plenty of occupations that are in that situation. So it's something that I made the decision with my wife that it was probably best for them not to be out here, see how things go. You know, things are great towards the end of the year. I'm sure they'll come out. But for right now, I know, you know, for myself and my family, they're just going to stay back home in that way that gives me the ability to, you know, make all the adjustments here, get used to, you know, obviously the things that are happening in New York City, not just at the stadium, but just the way of life in New York City right now. Thank you. Yeah, you're welcome. Okay. James Wagner, New York Times. You can unmute and ask a question in place of George. Is that I hope you and the family are well. Thanks. God, I want to make a George team joke, but I'm going to stop. So the two part question. One, I know part of the like manuals and operations for the season mentioned like coming up with a quote of conduct for the team. I guess you guys will probably have you done that where you guys do that when everyone's there. And then I'll ask one other one. Yeah, I think a lot of these, you know, the team rules will be addressed in our meeting, either that we have tomorrow or the next day. I'm not really sure when we're all going to be able to get in the same room or at least have a, I just smoked the mic. Is it working? Sorry. Is it good? Yeah. I hit the mic. Sorry. And I think we might have staggered groups where Boone is able to address, you know, a different wave of guys at a time, but we'll have that conversation. A lot of that obviously is dependent on, you know, obviously New York City, the regulations there, what we can and can do. But obviously at the field being considerate of everyone involved here, not just the players and the coaching staff, but the clubhouse personnel, medical staff. I mean, there's so many people throughout this stadium that are involved daily and getting us ready to play. And I think it's about being considerate to every single person and we'll address those issues in the next couple of days. And I've given that and then like all the rules that are in place, the testing, but also there's outside factor, like how, you know, how cases are charging in the city around you, the way it looks, like given those two things, the things you guys do and things outside your control, like what's your confidence level that you can complete this whole season, including the playoffs? Yeah, I'm hopeful that we can do a good job of isolating ourselves with the amount of testing that we're doing and staying on top of everything from a health standpoint here. And I think that if done properly, we'll be fine. And I'm not naive to think that no one's going to have positive tests. I know it's going to happen and it very well could happen on our team. And you just hope that it's not a lot of guys. And if it is, then we kind of just, we deal with it when it comes. But I think the protocols make a lot of sense. Obviously that was something that the union and MLB, you know, agreed to, you know, a few days ago. But I think that they're doing what they need to do. And it's not going to be bulletproof by any stretch of the imagination. But I think it's the right steps that are in there and the protocols and the testing that we're doing. The amount of testing, I think is appropriate. So they're doing everything they can to keep us, you know, healthy and able to play. But like I said, you know, this thing is this virus is very unpredictable. And we just don't know, but we're taking all the steps we can to keep everyone safe. Hey, George, can you try again? Yeah. Yeah, we hear you. All right. Hey, Zach, what's going on? Hey, George, how are you? Good. Good. You talked about the team that can self-motivate having the other chance to win this. What do you think your club can do? And how would you describe their ability to self-motivate themselves? You know, that's a tough question. You know, I do believe that we have the guys that can do it. We have guys that have played at a top level for a long time, a lot of them in our cobalt. And the more I've been around those type of players, the more I realize that those are the guys that can self-motivate, the guys that can, you know, maintain a performance level throughout the course of the season at a high level. So I'm hopeful that our team is that team that can do it. And I'll have a better feel of that, obviously, as we get into that environment. But my gut reaction is that we're going to be fine in that aspect. What'd you do today? I threw a bullpen today. And then just, you know, went through testing and things like that. Thank you. Yeah, you're welcome. We'll take a last question for Britt, Sweeney Merdy, WFAN, if you can unmute. Hey, Zach, how are you? Doing good. How are you? Good. Two things. One's a procedural thing. Okay. Your contract has at the end of this year's World Series that the Yankees have to declare or you have to declare about the option. Has any of that been ironed out yet? Is that still the same based on this season? It's still the same. We haven't had those discussions through the negotiations that obviously the union was having through MLB. It very well could be something that we discuss as we go forward. But as of right now, no, we haven't talked. It's a tricky, I think Boris called it the swap out. Swap out, I don't even know what he called it. But yeah, the Yankees have the ability to extend the contract. They have the first go at it at the end of the World Series. And then I can, depending on what happens, I can choose to opt out of the contract. Yes. And all that is still in place as far as you know? Yeah, everything. Yes, everything is, since that was a, that would guarantee me future years. Nothing, that would be 2022 that we're talking about the contract. My understanding is that future money and things like that in years are not impacted by anything that was negotiated. Or not, you know, not negotiated in this March agreement that we had agreed to. And as you were talking about the experience of playing without fans, a ladening reliever is probably more dependent on the energy of a stadium than anybody else on the team. Have you thought about how that could affect you pitching and what kind of ways you can generate that same type of energy without the crowd? Yeah, you know, when I pitched it wasn't a safe situation in Baltimore. We hadn't played in a few days, so I had to pitch. And I tell guys all the time, I think Melqui Cabrero swung at the first pitch and lined it foul, and I was like, oh boy, he's ready to go. I need to be ready to go. And I think for me personally and what I'll share with the other relievers would be that the warm-up is that much more important. Out there, I think that's something that maybe guys throughout the course of the season you kind of not necessarily go through the motions to be out there and save it for the game, but I do think the warm-up process will be a lot more important in getting guys ready to go.