Marginal improvement is still important. If the playoffs are a "crapshoot", it's best to tilt the odds in their favor. The problem is marginal improvement doesn't translate into marginal financial gains. "We're good/great" isn't a justification for not getting better. But (maybe?) its justification for waiting until the deadline to see which needs rise to the surface. Admittedly, this does not at all fit the narrative that every game is important. It's probably just me shifting my (false?) hopes for improvement to the trade deadline. It is justification, you never know what injuries are going to happen and resources are finite. I'm still sore about Harper.