Any update on Kyle Tucker is important for the Chicago Cubs. All the left-handed slugger has shown during his short time with the organization is that he’s one of the five best players in Major League Baseball, and his .302 average with six home runs has proven that. Tucker has done nothing but hit throughout his career, and as a result, he could be looking at a $500-plus million deal. After being selected fifth overall by the Houston Astros in the 2015 MLB Draft, Tucker has been as good as advertised, earning three All-Star nods, a top-five MVP finish, and a career 141 OPS+.

In a perfect world, the Cubs would get a deal done before free agency, which wouldn’t allow other teams to bid on him. However, according to a report from MLB insider Robert Murray, the Cubs and Tucker have yet to speak about an extension. “Besides, Tucker and the Cubs are not talking about an extension, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Perhaps the sides do this summer, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggested. But all signs point toward Tucker reaching free agency,” Murray wrote.

Tucker will continue to get massive praise over the next few months, mainly because he’s now by far the best player on the market if he hits free agency next winter after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed an extension with the Toronto Blue Jays. That likely increased his price, too, something the Cubs should’ve tried to avoid.