 Hey, Brian, happy holidays. How important was the SOTO move to the future of this franchise in your mind? Well, as you know, the future is always now. So 24 is our focus and trying to become that last team standing once again. As we've done in years gone by, that's the focus. So, you know, that's really, that's what the Yankees are all about is, obviously, what's the best position us for 24 and how best generally business for our very next season. Thank you. Mary Phillips, please unmute. Hey, Brian, I'm just curious if there's been any indication that SOTO and Scott Boris would be willing to talk about an extension before he hits your agency. I know that's typically not what Boris clients do, but I haven't had any conversations regarding that. So we understand that he's a present at the end of this term. And, but, you know, we understand that it's a possible short-term situation. And I know he's just going to make our team significantly better, but it's not going to be just him. We got to continue working at what else we can add to this roster. And then it also seemed like, you know, just through reports yesterday that there seemed to be some delays with medicals or other holdups in the deals or anything that the Padres took issue with or raised red flags about yesterday. No, I just think teams need to be thorough. They had more players going back their way. And at the same time, I think AJ's a very busy man. He's got a lot of balls in the air in one case, but he was also at the same time, you know, presenting a Scout of the Year award. So like there's, when you have your doctors or trainers and their availability, and then you have to match up with your availability, just trying to kind of delays the process a little bit. So, no, everything was all good. Just everybody, I think being thorough, it's a big, like anything else, like you want to be thorough on small deals, but you need to be more thorough on the bigger deals too to make sure, you know, everybody knows what they're getting. Gotcha, thanks. Brendan, Cuddy, go ahead. Cash, thanks for taking the time. Two questions. First, how intentionally will you guys be, trying to recruit Juan and then hope that he stays with you guys for a long term? Well, you know, ultimately, we want to, the culture we have with the Yankees that we project constantly is our intent to win. You know, we're here, we're in it to win it. So that's messaging that's constantly being reinforced. And we also want to protect and serve our players, put them in the best position to succeed, provide every opportunity or interest that they would have at their disposal so they can be successful. And, you know, and then that in itself and playing in front of, you know, one of the greatest fan bases in the world, you know, all those things are selling points on their own. And then past that, you know, you know, we're not going to trick anybody, we're not going to be something we're not. We're, you know, we've got good people to hear, you know, whether it's manager coaches, you know, his new teammates, as well as, you know, our fans and the tri-state area, there's a lot to offer. So I think that's a recruiting beacon for anybody. I know the question specifically about Juan Soto, but I think they're, you know, we certainly want to try always to, you know, under the Steinbrenner leadership to make this, you know, the Mecca of baseball and also to make this, you know, an amazing and enjoyable experience for players and their families alike. So if we take care of stuff like that, that recruiting effort, you know, becomes somewhat automatic, but hey, it's, there's 29 other teams with tremendous opportunities in cities out there and people in their own right and operations that they run. So that's why, you know, it's always a competition. And to whatever extent you're able to, could you give us the blow-by-blow on how this came together? It's, you know, pretty historic type of trade. I mean, I had a lot of conversations at the trade deadline, actually with AJ Preller on Soto and we're not talking about Verdugo with this, but I had trade deadline conversations with Boston on Verdugo and so in both players' cases, whether it's going back to Washington or San Diego or Boston with all these players involved, we've had these efforts for the first attempts to acquire these players. But yeah, right out of the gate, you know, it started Omar Manaya who used to work with AJ Preller and I met with AJ out in Scottsdale to make sure that AJ knew how serious we were. You know, we were very vocal and public that we're looking for not just one left-handed outfield bat, but two was especially with the Jason Dominguez injury. And so therefore we're trying to find that in a marketplace that was limited. And so we knew it would be a challenge regardless, but, you know, we attacked this winner like every other winner or trade deadline in season. You know, we put our best foot forward to see if we can pull down something that's of interest to us. And so we've had a lot of conversations, you know, and I think both teams in the end got exactly what they would be looking for. It hurt a lot on our end to give up some real pieces, but you have to give the game as you all know. And so we, you know, we certainly important one of the best hitters of the game has today and also, you know, don't sleep on Grisham. He's a, you know, he's a nice, you know, quality. We believe championship caliber piece as well that adds to our mix and gives our manager and Boone a lot more choices than he had before this move. Thank you. Next to Eric Boland. Brian, you kind of stated a little bit getting one of the best hitters in the game, but just, and it sounds, it's an obvious answer, but it sounds better coming out of your mouth. How much better does Soto make your offense? Significantly better, obviously, no doubt about it. You know, it's, you know, scouting just alone, you know, how many teams can run out, you know, on a scouting scale, a pro scouting scale, 20 to 80, how many teams are running out two eighths in their outfield? You know, you don't want to judge it as Soto. And, you know, I know that we saw that, you know, iteration put together a little bit recently in the last few years in Anaheim with Trout and Otani. But it's hard to run out multiple eighths in any, you know, category, you know, whether it's outfield, infield, or even on your 25, 26 man roster. So it's significantly upgrades us without a doubt. And the great thing about the crazy eighths is that one's right-handed, one's left-handed. And so that creates, you know, a tougher lineup to navigate, you know, for the opposing pitchers. But as a team sport, we got to have us to have, you know, a lot of other people pulling on the rope at the same time in the right direction. So we still have more work to do and we know that, but we are really excited by what those, you know, what this acquisition, you know, can do for both balance and impact. And, you know, certainly excited by the opportunity to bring in here. You know, what we think, you know, it's again, it's another manifestation of the Steinbrenner, you know, the legacy. I think George Steinbrenner always felt that, you know, the best players in the world should play here for the New York Yankees. And I think that was always what he tried to accomplish and had a lot of success along the way, not always being able to pull them off, but constantly trying to do that. And obviously Hal Steinbrenner and Jenny and Jessica have continued those efforts. And so, you know, Juan Soto is the latest example of that, of their efforts to try to bring the greatest, most talented baseball players the world can provide to play and call home here in the Bronx, New York, for our fan base. And so we're excited by, you know, the opportunities, you know, this provides for us as we move into the 24 season. And, you know, we're hopeful that his impact, along with his teammates, can provide some great baseball that plays deep into October for our fans. And then Brian, who is your everyday center fielder for at least the first couple of months of season or whenever a Dominguez comes back? Well, we'll see how the season plays out, but if today was opening day, you know, the judge would be out in center field, you know, so by the current alignment that we have. And he's exceptional at that. And so, yeah, we had a lot of conversations with that scenario, but I think, you know, we're better protected, you know, in a lot of different ways, whether you're facing a right-hander one day versus a left-hander another, versus the grind of a season that plays out or injuries that obviously unfortunately occur along the way. I think that we have a lot more choices today to navigate your lineup decisions for the manager and the coaches downstairs than we would if we hadn't pulled off these more recent acquisitions of Redugo, Grisham, and so do. And Jack Curry. Brian, when you make a deal of this magnitude, I'm sure there are some highs and lows across the last 72 or even more hours. What was the toughest part of making this Soto trade come to fruition? Obviously, getting to a yes, getting something that we could live with versus at the same time, something they could live with. You know, so first, you know, AJ is the amazing negotiator. You know, he's one of the game's best trade, you know, architects as we've seen by the body of his work over the course of time. And so I know that he's forced to reconfigure his team in a championship caliber mode. And so, you know, he certainly, you know, has now put himself in a better position while he reconfigures to do a lot of different other things to make sure his team is a good spot entering the 24 season. But the conversations were, you know, were many. There's a lot of twists and turns in it. You know, there's so much involvement, you know, as you know, when you pull deals off like this from top to bottom, honestly, ownership every step of the way, being willing to allow you to pull in, you know, with risk, pull in a contract like this on a one year basis. You know, it's a lot of money that he has on a one year basis coming in arbitration plus give up talent. But it feels neat. It's, you know, we've been trying to fill needs, you know, Bonnie, so I feel like the way we've gone about our operations, no different. We were always trying to tackle errors in need, but whether they're able to be accessible or, you know, or line up with matches, that's the more difficult situation. And there clearly was a match to be made here if we were willing to, you know, go all in. And thankfully, you know, the Steinbrenner DNA has always been there about being willing to go all in. And so, thankfully, in this particular conversation, we were able to match up. In the more recent conversation, also with Boston, we were able to match up, even though there were so many conversations prior that we've had with Boston the last two years on Purdue Go, and that wasn't the case, but we were able to both find something we could live with this time around. And we didn't blink there. And I think we're a better team for it right now. And I know he's only been a Yankee for a day. And I know you said your goal is to make the Bronx the mecca of baseball. I also know Scott Boris's history, but how invested do you anticipate being this season to keep Soto beyond 2024? Right now, we're focused on the here and now. I know there's gotta be, obviously, those type of conversations, you know, for any player, whether you're a young player on the roster, looking for, you know, a long-term extension or a player that's on an expiring contract for Dubo's on an expiring contract, obviously Soto's on an expiring contract. We've got Garrett Coles. I think I've got a situation as contract towards the end where, you know, I think there's an opt out where you could put an extra year on. There's so many of these variables are in play. And that, you know, clearly we're, it's always fluid. You're always taking everything under advisement, staying connected with ownership. And we're just very proud of the fact that we can call him a Yankee at this time. And with the full intentions of, again, taking a shot at his title. And that navigating the American League East and the American League that obviously posed the world defending world chance in the Texas Rangers, you know, it's a challenge. No doubt about it, but we want to be up for that challenge. So obviously, importing great players to add to the ones you already have is, you know, certainly gonna be helping in that process. There's a bunch of hands up, just for all those with the hands up, I'm gravitating towards those media members who cover us on a regular basis. So I'm not purposely overlooking you, just know that the limited time that we have with cash, I am gonna focus on on the media contingent that covers us regularly. Chris Kirschner, please unmute. Hey, Cash, given the amount of pitching depth that you've lost in the past few days, do you now look at that as your biggest need moving forward this off season? Yes. And then have you been given any assurances by how that payroll can be higher than last season if need be? I wouldn't comment on payroll, you know, but, you know, other than to restate that the time our family's constantly committed and pouring back into this franchise with the intent and effort to have a world championship, banner flying again here in the Bronx, that's always there. So, but pitching is definitely an area of focus without a doubt. It was before these deals, but clearly, you know, your point being since we lost, we off-boarded pitching to make these deals. On-boarding pitching is gonna be important, no doubt about it. Ron Blum, please unmute. And thank you for having video. Even though I don't have video today, I'm being punished. Cash, given the righty lefty splits of Verdugo and Grisham, do you see their time in the batting order, if not positionally, as some sort of platoon? My initial thought on Verdugo was, Verdugo is known. And in Grisham's case, you know, obviously, I think he's gonna be a weapon to be used as needed. And, but ultimately, Aaron Boone's gonna make those calls. You know, so I think, you know, I think there's just power numbers when we have, you know, we've elevated our outfield class significantly by these moves. And so Boone's gonna have a lot of good decisions to make. And that's a good thing. So, yeah, I would have to defer mostly to Aaron on that, regardless. And also, as you went through the trade talks, was it important from your side to keep Volpi and Dominguez out of any possible trades? Yes, yeah, we value them a great deal, and understandably so. And I think the industry recognizes that, but it didn't stop them from asking regardless. Yeah, that's all part of the process, too. Thank you. Yeah, there looks like you've moved to Nashville. Go ahead and unmute Pete. Right, I'm here for the long term. Brian, just following up on Chris's question, would you say you're in the market for more than one starter right now? We're in the market for pitching. You know, see if we can reinforce it. We like the pitching we have, but, you know, we also recognize that the, you know, if we can add to it, you know, it's important to do. But why the rotation, Volpi and Combo, all of the above from an insurance standpoint or something established that you can plug and play with, you know, we're going to continue conversations in that arena. We've been having those regardless of these deals, and those will continue. Who next to Dave Lennon? Hey, Cash, you mentioned that you had been kind of on SOTO to varying degrees since last year's deadline. Was there a point where you guys were kind of like he fits everything that we need and this has to happen? Was it after the meetings you had in October in Tampa when you talked to Perler and Scottsdale? Was there kind of that moment where you guys just had to decide that it was that you had to have SOTO? No, it was never that. It's more like, can you get to a point where you have the opportunity to get SOTO? We had a lot of conversations at the deadline and they chose not to move them, but they shared a lot of information at that time with us about players of interest that was a precursor to building what eventually has taken place now. So even though we were unable to acquire SOTO at the deadline, you know, the healthy dialogue that we were having with A.J. Preller gave us a roadmap to kind of pick up where we left off starting in Scottsdale. So I think, and speaking for any team, everybody would want a SOTO. It's just, can you actually put yourself in a position to like, wow, this is actually something that can happen? And it was clear by momentum of these conversations. There was, we had a good sit down in Scottsdale and, you know, then I think things got interrupted and understandably so. I think, you know, the Yankees condolences to the death of Peter Seidler, so the amazing owner of the San Diego Padres, obviously, with his passing, you know, certainly was a tragic event. And then the manager interviews that the Padres are going through when they lost Bob Mill, and I think that all those combinations of things kind of put everything understandably on hold. And then maybe a week before these meetings started, it started to pick back up and what the definition is of what plot, what course they're going to plot and what their needs were going to be after things settled down. And, but again, I think it was a springboard from conversations we had all summer because they weren't sure if they were going to stay in it and try to finish off and tweak into the playoffs or do they cut their losses and live to find another day? We were facing the same scenario we were trying to add. You know, so, you know, when you're in those no-man lands, it becomes difficult. And so they ultimately wanted to be holding on to Soto and determining whether they're going to move in the winter or not. Now they have. Great. Thanks, Cash. Max Goodman. Hey, Brian, talking about the players that you traded away between the Soto and Verdugo trades and the existing depth that you still have. What does all of this say about the Yankees pitching department? I think our pitching department or player development department, I know I think they do a great job. I think we have really good people. We have, you know, scouting directors with their scouts on the amateur side and international and domestic doing an amazing job of onboarding talent. And then, and then the player development system that Kevin Rees runs with his various coaching staffs. I think, yeah, they do an exceptional job. And they're in the most important key to all of that is making sure that everybody's in alignment because, you know, the connectivity between amateur scouting and development, knowing what can be developed, what can be enhanced, what can be improved upon versus knowing to stay away from what can't. I think those are all, you know, areas that we have significantly improved on in the last, you know, maybe six years. And so, you know, situations like this and then, unfortunately, to roll a five where we got slammed are just more, you know, reinforcements or examples of we got people doing good work in a lot of categories for us and it allows us to, at times, line up. And we're always trying to line up, but trying to line up is difficult regardless whether you have a lot of players or not. But it's certainly easier to do if you have a lot of players to do it with. Thank you. We're going to take a couple more that'll get us to about a half hour with cash. Jake Mintz, please unmute. Hi, Cash. Thanks for the time. I'm just curious, is there any concern about Aaron Judge in center field given that he's coming off a significant lower body injury? I think we think he's fine. We think he's resolved. We think that issue's behind him. And obviously, if it wasn't, we wouldn't have been playing the way he was in the second half even when we started to fade. So we think that's a resolved issue. And now, obviously, with the winner on top of finishing strong of rest, that it's not an issue. So I know Boone has already talked to Judgey prior to this. I know he's excited. And hey, that might mean center field's in play for you. And we'll see how the rest of the winner plays out. A lot of things could always happen, but as of right now, I think if open day was hit today, he would certainly be running out there in center, which I know he loves. I think if you put true serum in him, that's what he'd want to do regardless. But he's exceptional in all categories in that area. So we'll see. I'm not currently worried about him health-wise. But that's the opportunity it provides when you have a lot of depth that if we do have injuries that hit our roster, depending on who it is, no matter who it is, we're better positioned now than we were maybe 48 hours ago. The last one from Gary. Just for planning purposes, everybody, I don't have any further zooms this week scheduled or planned. Obviously, we'll keep you abreast of any availabilities that might take place next week. But I don't know where we stand for next week, as of right now. Gary, go ahead. A cash two for you, actually. First one might be a little obvious, but after adding three outfielders, you consider your outfield set at this point? I think so. Again, I'm open-minded, constantly willing to, if somebody has an idea that somehow improves our roster that currently is, as it currently is constituted, and they want to knock on the door regarding something I already have, but I'm extremely comfortable with. We're willing to listen. But yeah, I'm not trying to do anything in that area at this stage. I feel like it's kind of set up.