The Chicago Cubs have been preaching patience for years now under the direction of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, and the team continued to adhere to that policy as they watched two of the biggest names on the trade market go elsewhere in the last 24 hours.

The first salvo came when pitcher Cole Hamels was sent to the Texas Rangers. The pitcher, who still has three years left on his contract, was shipped out in exchange for six players, including top prospects Jorge Alfaro, Nick Williams, and Matt Harrison. After he was snapped up, the market for Detroit Tigers pitcher David Price intensified, and he was dealt on Thursday morning to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for a trio of prospects, headlined by left-handed pitcher Daniel Norris.

The moves don’t necessarily affect the Cubs adversely, as Hamels headed to a team that likely won’t make the 2015 postseason and Price heads to a Blue Jays team that hasn’t made the playoffs in over two decades, but both moves indicate that the Cubs are potentially going to stand pat at the trade deadline. Rumors have swirled in recent weeks that the team is kicking the tires on a variety of pitchers and position players, but Epstein and Hoyer have been cautious when it comes to dealing away prized prospect talent for short-term gain.

That mentality isn’t resonating well with some Cubs fans, who feel that the team is in need of a shot in the arm. The Cubs did just win two out of three games against the Colorado Rockies this week, but following a weekend sweep at the hands of the Phillies (which included a no-hitter tossed by the aforementioned Hamels), they are currently two and a half games out of the second wild card spot in the National League, trailing the Giants for that playoff berth.

That ground can certainly be made up, and the Cubs will have a great opportunity with seven games left this season against the defending World Series champions, but will they acquire new pieces to help them in that push? Questions still remain about the team’s offense, with Starlin Castro struggling mightily and the offense as a whole struggling to score runs, and their pitching staff has question marks once Jon Lester and Jake Arreita’s turns pass in the rotation.

These needs could be filled via trade, but the Cubs’ front office is playing things cautiously at the moment. They still have until 3 p.m. Friday to make a trade happen, but with big names flying off the board and teams loading up for the stretch run, the Cubs are still lying in wait.