With N.Y. in town, let Z speculation begin  —  CHICAGO — With the New York Yankees coming to town, it's only normal that some Chicago Cubs players will be under the microscope of baseball scouts and media with the trading deadline only six weeks away.  —  The one name that keeps coming up in baseball circles is Carlos Zambrano.

Yankees Edge Ahead In Q Poll  —  At Least Among Men  —  The Yankees may have had a rough off-season, with Cliff Lee spurning their mega-million dollar offer to go to the Phillies and Andy Pettitte retiring.  The Red Sox had a banner off-season, adding stars Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford …

Peter Gammons on M&M: Andrew Miller ‘either going to be a really good reliever or a fascinating starter’  —  MLB Network and NESN analyst Peter Gammons made his weekly appearance on the Mut & Merloni show Friday to talk about the Red Sox.  To hear the interview, go to the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page.

Divorce settlement heightens prospect of a McCourt-Selig showdown over Dodgers  —  Frank and Jamie McCourt reach a divorce settlement that requires two key decisions to go Frank McCourt's way if he is to keep ownership of the Dodgers.  Approval of the Fox TV contract by Major League Baseball is one of them, and that's seen as unlikely.

Marlins option Chris Coghlan to Class AAA New Orleans, call up Dewayne Wise who gets the start in CF tonight  —  The Marlins have optioned 2009 rookie of the year Chris Coghlan to Class AAA New Orleans and selected outfielder Dewayne Wise from Class AAA New Orleans.

Zambrano prefers to stay in Chicago  —  Right-hander Carlos Zambrano, while emphasizing that he wants to stay with the Cubs, said Friday that he would waive his no-trade clause if the team wanted to move him.  —  “If they come to me and want to trade me, obviously it's because they don't …

Morales to DL, Pagnozzi gets call  —  Morales sent to 60-day DL with right thumb fracture  —  DENVER — The Rockies placed backup catcher Jose Morales on the 60-day disabled list with a right thumb fracture and purchased the contract of Matt Pagnozzi from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Friday.

Josh Beckett and DIPS Theory  —  Last year, Josh Beckett posted a 5.78 ERA in 21 starts, and his struggles were one of the main reasons the Red Sox missed the playoffs.  This year, Josh Beckett has a 1.86 ERA in 14 starts, and his dominance is one of the reasons that the Red Sox have the best record in the American League.

Oft-injured Twins have ‘limited’ options with Cuddyer  —  Michael Cuddyer has a limited no-trade clause in the way that the late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner once had limited partners.  —  “There is nothing quite so limited as being a limited partner of George Steinbrenner's,” …

Tampa Bay Rays' plunking of Kevin Youkilis was necessary  —  ST. PETERSBURG — The result mattered.  No reason to pretend otherwise.  —  The Red Sox won the game, won the series and expanded their lead on the Rays in the American League East.  If you are a bottom-line person, that's as clear-cut as it gets.

LaRoche has surgery, expected back in spring  —  WASHINGTON — Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche underwent left shoulder surgery Thursday morning at Washington Hospital Center.  The surgery was performed by Dr. Wiemi Douoguih, who performed a shoulder SLAP repair, which means major work was done inside the shoulder.