The disclosure in the Tribune on Friday that Mark Cuban has submitted a formal application to Major League Baseball expressing interest in buying the Cubs got the players' attention in the home clubhouse at Wrigley Field. Potential free agent Carlos Zambrano joked, "If he buys the team, I will stay." On the other side of the clubhouse, Derrek Lee was told Zambrano had announced he's staying next year ? as long as the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks buys the Cubs. "Really?" Lee said with a laugh. "Even if he offers him two years at $8 million?" OK, maybe not. Zambrano wants big bucks, but he assumes Cuban will spend anything to keep him around. "I know he would be like [Angels owner] Arte Moreno and [Yankees owner] George Steinbrenner," he said. "He will pay attention to his players. He will take care of his players." Manager Lou Piniella also was intrigued.