The Chicago Cubs were expected to be aggressive sellers this year at the trade deadline.
Players such as Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman were candidates to be traded.
However, things changed toward the end of July.
The Cubs went on an eight-game winning streak that got them over the .500 mark for the first time since May.
The club then chose to keep their core together and try to win games down the stretch instead of selling pieces off.
Recently, Dansby Swanson, who signed with the Cubs over the winter, was quoted talking about the Cubs’ culture and how they ultimately came together as a team.
Ken Rosenthal tweeted what the star shortstop had to say.
Dansby Swanson: “I just kind of said now is a real important moment in culture setting. If we want to be winners here, we can’t just say, ‘All right, we’re going to turn our winner mindset on next year.’ No. The winning mindset stays at all times.” Story: https://t.co/ymBBMTOqUD
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 11, 2023
Swanson has emerged as one of the leaders on this young Cubs team.
He recalled saying that if he and his teammates wanted to be winners in Chicago, they couldn’t turn their focus to 2024.
Instead, he preached that if they wanted to stay together and win together, the winning needed to start before the trade deadline, and that the mindset would have to be solely about winning.
Sure enough, the Cubs have been one of baseball’s hottest teams as of late and are now just a half-game back of the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League, a spot which is currently held by the Miami Marlins.
Swanson of course experienced plenty of winning during his time with the Atlanta Braves, winning a World Series ring in 2021.
But it’s clear that he intends for the Cubs to be a winning team down the stretch.
NEXT: The Cubs Have Been Sizzling Since The Start Of July
