The Chicago Cubs earned a win against the rival St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday but they’ll need to keep it up if they’re going to catch another divisional foe.

After appearing to be the National League Central’s clear-cut favorite earlier this season, the Cubs have relinquished their division lead to the Milwaukee Brewers and sat five games back of that lead going into Sunday. The slip in the standings has coincided with a harsh stretch for star outfielder Kyle Tucker, who has struggled at the plate and now holds a .272/.386/.471 slash line that represents his worst averages in the last three seasons.

Despite his step back, though, Tucker is still expected to break the bank as the most coveted free agent this coming winter, setting up a conundrum for the Cubs.

“He’s not enjoying as much production, on a rate basis, as he did last year but has been healthier than last year,” Steve Adams noted for MLB Trade Rumors. “Tucker won’t approach Juan Soto or Shohei Ohtani territory, but he’ll have a case to top $400MM and could try to take aim at Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s $500MM mark with a big enough finish to the regular season and/or postseason.”

Tucker might be slumping at the plate in recent weeks, but he won’t turn 30 until after next season and he offers strong defense from a corner outfield position plus potential for 30 stolen bases per season. As a result, any number of big market teams could still be preparing offers near $500 million for Tucker.

And if the newest Cubs superstar is able to overcome his ongoing setback at the plate and lead a deep playoff run, or even a potential World Series championship, his current team might have little choice but to match those offers and keep him for the long haul.