I think the positive RD is a better justification than beating a struggling yankees team without it's best player though - really, they have underperformed record wise so the thought process should be whether that is the result of something other than luck and can they fix it? Looking at a baseball landscape that is increasingly haves and have nots, to me, the cubs should be clearly in the haves and that should be the long-term plan. so, whether they trade now should be decided by what best suits the long-term plan not what happens in a given series here or there. if they get in and lose a first round series doesn't make much difference to me, this isn't 1995.