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Central Notes: Royals, Cubs, Cardinals

What's motivating the Royals' decision not to be sellers at the trade deadline? Danny Knobler of CBS Sports suggests that, for the Royals, it's not so much about making the playoffs. Despite a six-game winning streak, that remains unlikely, as Kansas City is still just .500 and seven games behind the Tigers in the AL Central. Instead, Knobler reports that the Royals are motivated merely by a desire to finish the season on a good note. The Royals' winning season in 2003 was their only one since 1994, and it appears they may simply be hunting for another a decade later. That's not to say they're pure buyers, though -- Knobler notes that the Royals would like to acquire more talent at the deadline, but they're looking for players they can control in 2014.

• Starting pitcher Travis Wood says the Cubs' recent series of trades has helped them bond, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports. "I always feel trades make teams closer, because you see guys moving. Especially trading away a leader like (Alfonso Soriano). It kind of pulls us together. We have to lead this thing and do everything we can to win ballgames," Wood says. The Cubs recently completed a sweep of the Giants.
• Building a roster with the postseason in mind isn't all it's cracked up to be, argues Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Since postseason series are short, anything is possible. Miklasz points to unlikely heroes from past Cardinals postseason runs (So Taguchi, Anthony Reyes and Jeff Weaver in 2006, Pete Kozma in 2012) to show that the postseason is too unpredictable for the ideal playoff roster to be worth worrying about.

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