"All of a sudden, the Cubs seem a lot less inclined to deal players like Kosuke Fukudome and Carlos Zambrano than they were a few months ago. And for that, you can credit the Mike Quade Effect.

How much difference did Quade make? Well, the Cubs went 24-16 in the 40 games he managed -- after going 24-42 over the final 66 games Lou Piniella managed. And the changes didn't just show up in the standings.

Scouts who followed the Cubs said they saw young players and the bullpen crew, in particular, relax and perform without the high-strung Piniella around. And Fukudome was also a different guy, hitting .277/.390/.482 (with more walks than strikeouts) from Aug. 20 on -- after hitting .258/.365/.425 before that.

"He needed a change of scenery," said one executive. "And he got it -- without going anywhere."

Meanwhile, we're hearing the Cubs have gotten some "feelers" on Zambrano's availability. But his big finish (8-0, 1.58 ERA after his suspension) has eliminated any sense of urgency the Cubs might have had to move him and eat a bunch of money to do it.

Other teams report the Cubs would still talk about Zambrano. But he has a full no-trade clause, and has salaries of $17.875 million and $18 million coming the next two years, plus a vesting $19.25 million option for 2013.

So for the Cubs, said an official of one team, "this is not like last year, when moving Milton Bradley was a had-to-be-done kind of move.""