"Whether the Cubs are the front-runners to sign Prince Fielder or just interested observers remains the most hotly debated question of Theo Epstein's first offseason in Chicago.

Efforts to reach Epstein for comment Friday were unsuccessful, but Cubs manager Dale Sveum downplayed the latest Fielder rumors.

"It's a lot of media talk more than us doing anything," Sveum said. "We haven't had any talks with Prince, and I haven't had any conversations with him. (It's) more other people bringing this to the table."

The Cubs are the only big-market team reportedly in the mix, and haven't ruled themselves out of the picture. Everything Epstein has said publicly thus far, however, runs counter to the possibility of handing out a megabucks contract.

So is Epstein running a misdirection play — as he did in October to a fan who recognized him in a Lincoln Park Starbucks before his interview for the Cubs' job — or are the Cubs content with taking a small market approach in their rebuilding plan, slicing payroll for the second straight season?

Fielder's agent, Scott Boras, apparently is in no rush to get anything done, so the rumors are likely to continue for a while. The Cubs have tip-toed through the offseason with smaller, less expensive acquisitions, and currently are talking to free agent lefty Paul Maholm, a team source confirmed, after an ESPN.com report.

The last time the Cubs were in pursuit of a prime time Boras client, in 2004, they negotiated until the opening of camp before Greg Maddux was signed. Last year the Cubs signed Carlos Pena to a one-year deal that Boras called a "pillow contract." If Boras isn't able to get the kind of long-term deal he's seeking this winter, could Fielder go to Cubs for a short-term "pillow" deal?"