The timing was such that Andrew McCutchen could not escape the subject. The day before he addressed the media last weekend at PirateFest, outfielder Jason Heyward agreed to terms on an eight-year, $184 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.

In light of Heyward’s deal, what might McCutchen be worth when he hits the open market after the 2018 season?

“I don’t know what I’m worth,” McCutchen said. “I don’t define my worth in money. We’ll see what happens.”

The day of reckoning is three years out, but at some point McCutchen and the Pirates will have a conversation about what it will take to keep the franchise’s best home-grown player since Barry Bonds, the driving force behind three consecutive playoff appearances, in Pittsburgh. It will not be cheap.

One of the reasons Heyward got as much as he did is his age: He hit free agency at 26, after making his debut in 2010 as a 20-year-old. McCutchen, 29, will hit the market at 32, after his six-year, $51.5 million contract — which will become seven years and $65 million if the Pirates exercise his $14.5 million option for 2018 —expires.

“This is still a place I do want to be,” McCutchen said. “I love it here. If that’s something that they can do, that’s something they can do. I really can’t answer from their end. We’ll see what happens in the future.”

What might McCutchen stand to earn? As a baseline: In 2015, his age 28 season, he hit .292 with a .401 on-base percentage and 23 homers.

Start with Jacoby Ellsbury, who signed a seven-year, $153 million contract with the New York Yankees after the 2013 season. That year, Ellsbury, who was 30 when he signed the contract, hit .298 with a .355 on-base percentage and a major league-high 52 stolen bases.

How about Carl Crawford? After hitting .307 with 19 homers, a league-high 13 triples, 47 steals and Gold Glove defense in 2010, he signed a seven-year, $142 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. But he was 29 when he signed; those are likely at the high end of McCutchen’s earning potential.

Go a little lower, into Shin-Soo Choo and Jayson Werth territory, and you might find McCutchen’s landing spot. Choo was 31 when he joined the Texas Rangers on a seven-year, $130 million contract before the 2014 season, after hitting .285 with a .423 OBP, 21 homers and 20 steals. Werth got seven years and $126 million with the Washington Nationals at age 31 after hitting .296 with 27 homers and a league-leading 46 doubles in 2010.

The Pirates’ six-year, $60 million deal with Jason Kendall in 2000 remains the largest contract in team history.