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In ESPN The Magazine, MLB Insider Buster Olney examines how GM Brian Cashman is leading the Yankees in cutting payroll to get below the salary cap while still fielding a winning roster.

Story | Conversation | June 11, 2013

Mariano Rivera is almost perfect as a reliever this season, with 19 saves and a 1.77 ERA, the sort of numbers that don't square with the fact that he is 43 years old and announced his retirement back in March. This isn't quite Gale Sayers walking...

Blog | June 03, 2013

NEW YORK -- Brady Anderson played against Mariano Rivera for years and said Saturday he has never actually spoken with the closer, which is not unusual. Rivera has always kept his distance from opposing players. But Anderson greatly appreciates River...

Blog | April 14, 2013

Buster Olney recounts a funny tale involving Mariano Rivera and Brady Anderson and provides news and notes from around baseball.

Blog | Conversation | April 14, 2013

TAMPA, Fla. -- A spring training inning came to an end Saturday, one exhibition inning among thousands that won't count. But this inning had been a little different. This was the first inning thrown by Mariano Rivera in about 10 months, and it ...

Blog | March 10, 2013

Buster Olney writes that Mariano Rivera's first outing provided a glimmer of hope in a spring training filled with injuries for the New York Yankees.

Blog | Conversation | March 10, 2013

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Cal Ripken was someone who other players came to know, because as they circled the bases, they chatted with him at second base when he was shortstop, and or at third base when he played there. Young players like Gordon Beckh...

Blog | March 08, 2013

Buster Olney discusses Mariano Rivera's legacy, and asks players and managers about what an appropriate farewell gift would be for the greatest closer ever.

Blog | Conversation | March 08, 2013

Buster Olney ranks the top 10 bullpens in baseball history, along with the latest news and notes from around baseball.

Blog | Conversation | January 21, 2013

Buster Olney looks at four burning questions facing four contenders as we approach the end of the offseason.

Blog | Conversation | January 15, 2013

The visitors bullpen in Fenway Park is built into the front of the stands in right-center field, and Mariano Rivera has been booed there each time he has arrived for work, he said recently. But through the years, there has been a shift in the relatio...

Blog | May 04, 2012

Mariano Rivera's legacy is secure, and he has hinted that this would be his last season. But after tearing his ACL, he now must decide whether he prefers to leave the game standing upright or being carted off the field, Buster Olney writes.

Blog | Conversation | May 04, 2012

There are loud baseball headlines these days. RED SOX FLIRTING WITH GREATEST SEPTEMBER COLLAPSE EVER. MARIANO RIVERA SETS SAVES RECORD. CLAYTON KERSHAW DOMINATES, AGAIN. Buried somewhere deep below all of that conversation, there is a team finding a...

Blog | September 21, 2011

Buster Olney writes that the Texas Rangers are quietly putting it all together and could be a major force in the AL this postseason.

Blog | Conversation | September 21, 2011

Nick Blackburn's ERA was 5.14 as he prepared for his start against the Chicago White Sox on May 4, and he was scrambling for solutions. As he and catcher Rene Rivera talked about the White Sox hitters and how they wanted to pitch to them, they s...

Blog | June 19, 2011

Buster Olney writes about how Nick Blackburn changed his pitching approach, which has in turn helped the Twins get on a roll.

Blog | Conversation | June 19, 2011