A July hot streak can make or break a trade deadline strategy, and that is what has happened to the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs were likely to trade pitcher Marcus Stroman and outfielder Cody Bellinger as recently as a few weeks ago, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. However, the team’s recent run of success has encouraged the team to take both players off the market.
The Cubs entered play Sunday having won eight straight and 10 of 11, pulling to within 3.5 games of the NL Central lead. They were 8.5 games back when the run started on July 18. At that point, Bellinger, at the very least, seemed certain to be moved.
Things changed quickly, and it was clear toward the end of last week that the Cubs were no longer sellers. There is no indication that they’ll be buying, but it’s pretty clear that the team got hot at the perfect time.
