CHICAGO -- With the trading deadline coming fast, a 10-5 stretch heading into Friday has not changed the focus of the Chicago Cubs.
"We have to stay true to our vision," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said Friday. "You start rushing prospects through the system you end up shortchanging their development. We wish we could speed this thing up a little bit There are a lot of nice things happening at the big-league level as well. It is nice to see them clawing their way back to .500."
The Cubs have already traded pitchers Scott Feldman and Carlos Marmol as well as outfielder Scott Hairston and more likely will follow before the July 31 trade deadline.
"We got off to a difficult start," Epstein said. "That put us in a position that something truly magical would have to happen for us to get back into contention. So if that doesn't happen you have to take a real cold look at it that if there are trades you can make to improve the organization you have to look at them."
Epstein declined to answer questions on pitcher Matt Garza's status or any of the other Cubs players who may be traded.
"I would rather not speculate about (Garza) publicly," Epstein said. "He is throwing very well and is very healthy. There are teams out there that are looking for pitching that are going to call. For us he is helping us win games right now and there is a chance to possibly retain him after this year so we will balance that all out and do what is best for the organization."