Zambrano, Cubs deftly avoid arbitration  —  Just before hearing, parties ink one-year, $12 million deal  —  MESA, Ariz. — The Cubs and Carlos Zambrano reached agreement Tuesday on a one-year, $12 million contract and avoided arbitration.  —  The Cubs had hoped to settle before a 2 p.m. MST hearing at the Phoenix Hyatt.

Notes: Alomar Jr. inks Minors deal  —  Veteran catcher could be third family member to play for club  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Sandy Alomar Sr. played with the Mets in briefly in 1964, Robbie Alomar had an uneven tenure with the Mets in 2002 and into 2003, and now a third Alomar …

With Johnson hurting, Nats bright on Broadway  —  VIERA, Fla.—Larry Broadway has been to spring training with the Nationals before, but never quite like this.  —  With first baseman Nick Johnson expected to miss at least the first month of the season thanks to a broken right femur …

Jeter doesn't see relevance of A-Rod story  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Maintaining they have a fine relationship on the field and in the clubhouse, Derek Jeter resolutely refused to discuss the deterioration of his friendship with Alex Rodriguez away from the ballpark.

Closing time  —  The biggest question of spring training (who will close for this team?) was discussed again today by Red Sox execs, who made some interesting comments.  —  In an interview with the Globe's Gordon Edes that will air on NESN tomorrow night, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein hinted …

Matsui not looking in past  —  Rockies prefer to see promise, not failure with Mets  —  TUCSON - The Rockies saw enough from Kaz Matsui in the final six weeks of last season that they are willing to ignore what he did in slightly more than two years with the New York Mets.

Los Angeles Dodgers  —  Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel.  All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched …

The Best Young Third Basemen of 2007  —  This week, I will continue my position-by-position review of the game's best players by examining young third basemen.  The following list differs from traditional prospect lists in two ways.  First, anyone under 25 is eligible.

Bullpen makes a powerful statement  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — Even White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen found himself getting caught up in all the hype.  —  Monday's workout ended with power arms Andrew Sisco, Matt Thornton, Bobby Jenks and highly regarded rookie Nick Masset throwing off the mound and causing heads to shake with their velocity.

Larkin's Busy Season At Hand  —  Felipe Lopez plopped down at his locker Monday, and Barry Larkin sat directly next to him.  For 10 minutes, they discussed playing the infield — the beginning of a discussion that will last the whole spring.  —  Larkin, the longtime Cincinnati Reds shortstop …

Notes: Greene optimistic about hand  —  Recovering shortstop eager to get past injuries of '06  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Khalil Greene strolled into the clubhouse on Monday, a silver wedding ring gracing the left hand that is a lingering concern for the San Diego Padres and their fans.

Pride signs former Red Sox reliever Rich Garces  —  NASHUA, N.H. (AP) — Former Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Rich Garces has signed with the Nashua Pride.  —  Garces, nicknamed "El Guapo," had a 10-year career in the major leagues, playing for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins and the Red Sox.

Nice guy Brian now in spotlight  —  The whip is now in Brian Cashman's hands.  —  He needs it.  Look all around him.  There's all this carping from fans, and some media types, about not running to Mariano Rivera with a pen and a blank check.  The calm once surrounding Bernie Williams has evaporated into controversy.