So today's 3:00 pm trade deadline has come and gone and there has only been silence from the Cubs' news wire.

And the question remains: is this a bad thing?

For the last week or so, Cubs fans have been under the impression that Jim Hendry was not going to be aggressively pursuing any particular trade; clearly that was correct. That doesn't mean, however, that the Cubs couldn't benefit from any roster moves. But that doesn't mean they needed to make them either.

It's tricky. The Cubs could very well be a World Series threat with the team they have. On the other hand, there are no guarantees in baseball (especially if you're a Cubs fan) and there are definitely some questions about the bullpen's durability as well as concerns over consistency in the batting order. Then there's the perspective of "who cares, we just swept the Brewers at Miller Park." Which isn't really on par with the other two, it's just fun to say and put in bold.

Dare I say the tear is on, folks? This is the best record the Cubs have had all season. I would not want to be the Pirates right now, who have traded away nearly all their veteran talent just before the deadline (both Xavier Nady and Jason Bay) and come to Wrigley where they haven't had much fun all season.

Anyway, back to whether or not the Cubs should have made a move at the deadline. Despite rumors about Milton Bradley of the Rangers, the M's Raul Ibanez, KC's David DeJesus and Padres' slugger Brian Giles, no upgrades were made offensively. My guess is Hendry didn't get anything tempting enough to make him flinch. Fair enough.

On a bit more of a surprising note, the Cubs did not seal a deal to move Scott Eyre despite reported interest from both the Red Sox and Yankees. Maybe if Eyre pitched the way he did in the ninth today before the deadline it would have happened, but oh well. It sounds like both he and at this rate Bob Howry will not be back with the Cubs when their contracts are up after this year.

I think with the slight injury question in the bullpen that I would have liked to have seen someone brought into the mix. Kerry Wood's blister situation seems to be getting out of hand (pardon the bad, unintentional joke) and the inconsistency from everyone else besides few others is worrisome. As great as it is watching Jeff Samardzija, you're talking about a future top rotation guy here and he shouldn't spend more than a stint or two in the bullpen the rest of this year. I guess it's easy to forget how many runs you've given up in the ninth inning of games lately when you're winning by a wide margin. If only the Cubs could kill other teams every day. I wish. Time will tell, but let's enjoy the high life. Sorry, Miller Inc.