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If a starting pitcher has a couple of bad starts, Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin mused Tuesday, he can always work on some stuff in side sessions in the bullpen. There is time for process, and progress. If a hitter struggles, he can c...

Blog | April 10, 2013

Buster Olney talks to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who explains why it's so tough to deal with a slumping closer.

Blog | Conversation | April 10, 2013

Jim Leyland wore a small smile last week as he talked about team chemistry. He said if you win, you've got a great clubhouse, but if you lose, then it's said you have a bad clubhouse. He's right, of course. Almost everything else foll...

Blog | March 24, 2013

Buster Olney takes a look at 10 of baseball's most inflammatory situations this season, including Charlie Manuel's future in Philadelphia and the battle for the L.A. market.

Blog | Conversation | March 24, 2013

Adam Eaton has a gift for angering other people, Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers has decided. The other day, the center fielder bunted on James Shields and the Kansas City Royals seemed put off by that, and when Eaton slid into thir...

Blog | March 13, 2013

Adam Eaton brings a unique dimension to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and his teammates and coaches are loving it, writes Buster Olney.

Blog | Conversation | March 13, 2013

Jim Bowden, Keith Law and Buster Olney bring you the latest installment of the Future Power Rankings.

Story | Conversation | February 25, 2013

I grew up as a crazy Los Angeles Lakers fan right in the middle of Boston Celtics country in central Vermont, which meant that all of my friends rooted for Larry Bird and Robert Parish and Cedric Maxwell, and I rooted for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magi...

Blog | January 20, 2013

Buster Olney ranks the top 10 rotations in baseball in today's blog, along with the latest news and notes from around baseball.

Blog | Conversation | January 20, 2013

Talent evaluators who have heard Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos say no to possible deals for catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud in the past are stunned -- completely shocked -- that Toronto has said yes to a to a trade for R.A. Dickey -- a...

Blog | December 17, 2012

The Blue Jays had already made a commitment for 2013, and the R.A. Dickey deal is the final piece.

Blog | Conversation | December 17, 2012

Scouts are scattered all over ballparks these days, preparing for the postseason, looking for weaknesses, forming opinions on which hitters to avoid and which hitters to go after. Each of the playoff teams will have particular players who will be...

Blog | September 25, 2012

Buster Olney goes through every team currently projected to make the postseason and highlights the player most crucial to their playoff hopes.

Blog | Conversation | September 25, 2012

Buck Showalter will make his way around the field during batting practice before games, and while he'll talk to a lot of players along the way, his primary mission, he says, is to get a read on how his relievers are feeling, how their arms are f...

Blog | September 23, 2012

Buster Olney writes that if Buck Showalter wins AL Manager of the Year, it'll be because of his (and pitching coach Rick Adair's) ability to manage the Baltimore bullpen, a group that has had to consume far more innings than other AL contenders.

Blog | Conversation | September 23, 2012

The Crazy Stuff bar was set very high last year, when the Boston lineup of stars collapsed and the Braves' bullpen crumbled. As Evan Longoria prepared for his season-ending at-bat last year, he looked at a photographer near the Rays' on-dec...

Blog | September 12, 2012