Cubs President Theo Epstein praised his players for their 13-3 start to the second half and said it kept him from considering trading specific parts of the roster before the July 31 deadline.
"If we hadn't had that stretch, and if we had continued to play tough baseball, we might have been on the other end of some deals," Epstein said after adding left-handed reliever Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila from the Tigers on Sunday night. "It's a credit to the way our players responded at the All-Star break. That's the reason we did what we did."
The Cubs transformed their standing from a 5{-game deficit in the National League Central to a 2{-game lead entering play Tuesday.
"If we had fallen eight, nine games out, we certainly would have been looking at considering moving players who were rentals," Epstein said. "We immediately played great down the stretch and didn't have to head down that road you never want to go down."
Those players whose contracts expire at the end of this season are pitchers Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Wade Davis and outfielder Jon Jay.
"With the (Collective Bargaining Agreement) the way it is, when contending teams have an off-year they have to take a hard look at selling because it's tough to recoup young talent whenever you have an opportunity to do so. You never want to be in a situation that forces you to be realistic if you are."
