DALLAS -- The way Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer views things, the real benefit of MLB¡¯s Winter Meetings is the chance to make quick progress in conversations with other teams. A trade scenario that might take a week for a reply at other points in the winter can instead get a response in hours.

Over the three days spent at the Hilton Anatole this week, Hoyer was active trying to gain some ground on multiple prospective trade fronts. The North Siders have been linked to Astros star Kyle Tucker, while also gauging the market for their own players, including outfielders Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki.

¡°Trade wise, we¡¯ve had a lot of discussions with various teams,¡± Hoyer said on Wednesday. ¡°We¡¯ve been less involved in free agency here, but certainly very active talking to different teams about trades that can make us better.¡±

The agents for both Suzuki (Joel Wolfe) and Bellinger (Scott Boras) made it known this week that Hoyer has maintained an open line of communication with them about trade talks involving their clients. Suzuki has a full no-trade clause, but Wolfe indicated the outfielder is willing to consider waiving it for a ¡°small universe¡± of teams.

One of the factors behind Hoyer¡¯s search for an impact bat via the trade market is the reality that his team has won 83 games two years in a row, falling short of the playoffs both times. Chicago¡¯s lineup is versatile in terms of offensive profiles, but there is a desire to raise the ceiling with an October push in mind for 2025.

That explains the reported interest in Tucker, who has one year of control before hitting the open market next offseason. The 27-year-old outfielder had a .993 OPS with 4.7 wins above replacement (per Baseball Reference) and 23 homers last year in just 78 games. In the previous three seasons, he averaged 5.5 WAR with an .870 OPS.

That is the type of impact player who can help the Cubs as they hunt for current value, rather than focusing so much on future value.

¡°I do think with our team, we have a very balanced, solid team,¡± Hoyer said. ¡°It¡¯s trying to figure out ways that we can improve. If we¡¯re going to improve on our position-player group in particular, it has to be a notable increase. We¡¯re not just going to move marginally.¡±

BIGGEST REMAINING NEEDS

1. Rotation help
Hoyer said Wednesday that the Cubs have submitted their initial presentation to Wolfe and his star free agent, Roki Sasaki. Beyond making their pitch to Sasaki this winter, the Cubs are still looking for possible ways to add to a rotation. Chicago already signed lefty Matthew Boyd, but Hoyer reiterated this week that, ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll stop looking for more arms.¡±

2. Bullpen depth
The Cubs have added a few arms to the bullpen mix this winter -- Eli Morgan (trade), Rob Zastryzny (waiver claim) and Phil Bickford (Minor League deal) -- but want to keep filling up the depth chart. Chicago will also keep monitoring the free-agent market for an impact arm for the later innings (right-hander Kyle Finnegan being one possible target).

3. Bench help
The Cubs are nearing a deal to sign free-agent catcher Carson Kelly, who will team with Miguel Amaya to form the catching tandem. Besides that slot on the bench, Chicago needs to search for some role players behind the MLB regulars.

RULE 5 DRAFT
The Cubs used the 16th pick in the annual Rule 5 Draft to snag infield prospect Gage Workman from the Tigers¡¯ system. Workman is a lefty-hitting infielder with some pop and speed, making him a candidate to compete for a spot on manager Craig Counsell¡¯s bench during Spring Training.

Last season, the 25-year-old Workman hit .280/.366/.476 with 18 homers, 29 doubles, 89 RBIs and stole 30 bases for Double-A Erie, while mostly moving between shortstop and third base. He currently ranks No. 29 on MLB Pipeline¡¯s Top 30 prospects list for Chicago.

The Cubs are required to send the Tigers $100,000 for making the selection and must keep Workman on the active roster for the entire season. A Rule 5 pick can¡¯t be sent to the Minors without first clearing waivers and then being offered back to his original team for $50,000.

THE BOTTOM LINE
¡°The goal is obviously to keep pushing and to get better. We¡¯ll see where that goes. Deals have to come together. We have to try to do some hard deals, but ultimately, I think we have a really great foundation right now. It¡¯s just a question of, ¡®Can we build around that and make it better?¡¯¡± -- Hoyer