The latest rumor floating around Major League Baseball is that the Chicago Cubs are the frontrunners in the Jake Peavy sweepstakes. If this signing comes to fruition and Peavy ultimately joins a Cubs pitching staff that already includes Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden, Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis, look out National League.

If Peavy is added, Marquis would likely be the odd man out, leaving Chicago with the best starting rotation in recent memory and that includes the famed Braves staff of the early 90s. Peavy is arguably the best pitcher in the game right now, while Zambrano and Dempster were both worthy of strong consideration for the Cy Young last year despite pitching half of their games in hitter-friendly Wrigley Field. Factor in a healthy Harden, and that's always a concern with the hard-throwing, injury-prone hurler, and you've got the makings of one of the best staffs from top to bottom ever assembled. Now, if the Cubs can just remember to pack their postseason bats next year, they might actually end their century's worth of misery and win the title.

Speaking of the Cubs, looks like Mark Cuban won't be the team's new owner anytime soon. Reports are that MLB officials would have to approve his $1.3 billion offer and the chances of Bud and the boys giving their thumbs up are less likely than Steve Bartman replacing Lou Pinella in the dugout. Cuban is one of the five finalists to become the new owner but it appears Cuban's inclusion among the finalist is much like including black candidates for vacant head coaching positions in the NFL a few years back: looks good on the surface, but a token inclusion at best.

While reading the story on Cuban, I saw that the Tribune Co. bought the Cubs for $20.5 million back in 1981. With the team expected to be sold for $1.5 billion 27 years later, I'd say it was a very solid investment that would be worth all the yearly woes the team has suffered through on the field.