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.

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 …

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 …

Defiant Barry's back  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — His sixth swing of the day, of the year, produced a massive shot, a home run well over Scottsdale Stadium's wall in right-centerfield.  It might as well have been 2001 again.  —  With that, Barry Bonds exited the batting cage …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Stats Geek: Imperfect combination  —  Some question Jack Wilson for calling Jose Castillo on the carpet, but the stats bear out that double-play drop-off rests with second baseman.  —  Peter Diana, Post-Gazette  —  Jack Wilson, starting a double play with a diving stop and a flip …

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.

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.

Tigers manager critical of Dmitri Young's comments  —  LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Detroit manager Jim Leyland fired back at former Tiger Dmitri Young on Tuesday, saying Young was "totally out of line" for accusing the team of unfairly cutting ties with him last season.

Finding Cheap Relievers  —  One of the relatively inexpensive ways a team can help itself is by finding undervalued arms for its bullpen.  The trick is identifying which pitchers are undervalued.  What, if any, characteristics do bargain-basement relievers share?

Beltran turns the page  —  Final out of NLCS a popular talking point at camp Monday  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The hangover persists.  And now that the public eye again can focus on Carlos Beltran, it may get worse.  No "hair of the dog" exists for this one.

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.