3 needs the Chicago Cubs still have to cross off their wish list

There has been a growing expectation that the Chicago Cubs will be active during the final month of the off-season before Spring Training.

There is no doubt that it has been a unique off-season for not only the Cubs but Major League Baseball as a whole.

An unprecedented amount of MLB Trade Rumors' Top 50 free agents remain available and that is unusual territory for the market to be in as the calendar inches closer to February.

There will be an uptick in activity leading into and during Spring Training with the Cubs likely to be at the center of the attention.

The Cubs have only made two additions to their Major League roster this off-season so far. The Cubs signed Japanese starting pitcher Shota Imanaga to a creative multi-year deal and seemingly addressed their need at first base with the trade for top prospect Michael Busch.

It goes without saying that Imanaga and Busch can not be the only improvements that the Cubs make before the start of the 2024 season. New manager Craig Counsell will be a clear upgrade over former Cubs manager David Ross but it would be a fireable offense to have Counsell begin his tenure with a worse roster than what Ross had last season.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer is aware of that fact and assured fans that at the Cubs Conventions two weeks ago the work is not done. Hoyer said the team is about halfway done with their off-season and that is important considering the three items that remain on their wish list.