Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that will get you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s slate of games, while catching you up on the most fun stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is staying in Toronto for the long haul. 

The Blue Jays haven’t confirmed the deal yet, but you can bet they’re absolutely over the moon. And why wouldn’t they be? For a team that has had some notable near misses in free agency, locking up a bona fide superstar for years to come is a much-needed win, the kind that could potentially change the franchise’s fortunes, as our own Keegan Matheson notes.

For a while, it looked like it wasn’t going to happen, that Vladdy really was going to test free agency at the end of the 2025 season. After all, he set a Feb. 18 deadline to get a deal done. That date came and went without an agreement. According to Guerrero, talks never even got close. “Now, they’re going to have to compete with 29 more teams,” Guerrero said at the time.

It was a situation that threatened to loom over the club all season long, like the CN Tower over the Toronto skyline. But the Blue Jays were determined. They never gave up hope. And after months of swirling rumors and negotiations, the two sides have a resolution: 14 years, $500 million (per a source). It’s the largest extension in MLB history, and the third largest overall deal behind only the free-agent pacts inked by Juan Soto (15 years, $765 million) and Shohei Ohtani (10 years, $700 million).

Speaking of free agency, the upcoming class has been upended. The spotlight’s now on you, Kyle Tucker.

The outfielder probably has a big smile on his face today, and not just because of his sizzling start (five homers in 12 games!) for the Cubs, who acquired him from the Astros in the offseason. With Guerrero off the board, King Tuck is the unquestioned crown jewel of the 2025-26 free-agent class. And in the wake of the aforementioned megadeals, which have raised the bar for superstar pacts, the 28-year-old is poised to cash in.

Want to know how Guerrero’s deal could shake up the rest of the free-agent landscape? How it might impact the likes of Pete Alonso and Dylan Cease? Mark Feinsand has you covered. Go beyond the Hot Stove and dig into the deeper narratives with Will Leitch’s five biggest takeaways from Vlad’s new deal.

-- Thomas Harrigan

• Blue Jays @ Red Sox (6:45 p.m. ET on MLB.TV): The Red Sox scored 23 runs in a twin bill yesterday and swept St. Louis thanks in part to new star and AL Player of the Week Alex Bregman. The Blue Jays just locked down their megastar. Fenway Park is going to be jumping.

• Astros @ Mariners (9:40 p.m. ET on MLB.TV): Tensions are always high when these AL West rivals match up (brawls? 18-inning playoff games?), and this first installment of 2025 likely won't be an exception. Coming off being swept in San Francisco, there’s nobody the Mariners would rather have on the hill than Logan Gilbert, who could be ready to reach another level. 

• Reds @ Giants (9:45 p.m. ET, FREE on MLB.TV): OK, how many of you had the Giants atop the NL West with MLB’s best record at 8-1 through the first week-plus of the season? We’re going to need some hard evidence, because even the most preeminent prognosticators probably didn’t get that one right. Can they keep the good times rolling against flamethrowing Reds ace Hunter Greene?

• Giants shortstop Willy Adames and Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez are tight, but after a weekend of playful one-upmanship went Adames’ way, J-Rod was (jokingly) reconsidering their bond. "I just said that we're cutting off the friendship," Rodríguez said Sunday after San Francisco completed its sweep of Seattle. Maria Guardado has more on the friendly rivalry between the two stars.

• J.T. Realmuto’s thumb may have been bloodied by a water bottle mishap, but his arm was just fine. After repairing the cut with a quick glue job, the Phillies catcher handed the Dodgers their first loss of the season with a clutch caught-stealing that sealed Philadelphia’s 3-2 victory on Friday night. Todd Zolecki tells the story of Realmuto’s timely defensive gem.

• Give Jurrangelo Cijntje a hand for a tremendous pro debut. Better yet, make it two. Michael Avallone takes a look at the switch-pitching prospect’s dominant performance in his first appearance for High-A Everett on Saturday.

WWE superstar CM Punk is known to be a Chicago sports superfan -- and that certainly includes the Cubs.

Punk has attended quite a few games at Wrigley, most significantly hyping up the crowd before Game 2 of the 2016 NLDS against the Giants. The Cubs won that game and famously went on to break a century-plus-long World Series drought. Was all that because of Punk's inspiration? Hard to say, but probably.

Also notable, Punk cited former Cubs starter Jon Lester as his model for one of his most epic moments, when he returned to wrestling after a seven-year absence and gifted every fan in attendance ice cream bars. (If you know, you know.)

So when the Cubs gifted Punk with a personalized model of their new alternate unis -- the team's first baby blue jersey since 1981 -- the Best in the World was sufficiently amped. "This is beautiful," Punk said. "Can I put it on?"

Who knows? Maybe Punk will again don his new No. 13 Cubs jersey to walk to the ring for his first WrestleMania main event in a couple weeks. If nothing else, he has the perfect thing to wear for his next sojourn to the Friendly Confines.

-- Bryan Horowitz

If you’re ever doubtful that the clutch gene exists, you need only look at Wilmer Flores for proof. The veteran infielder knocked a pinch-hit walk-off single yesterday for the red-hot Giants, and it was his 13th career walk-off plate appearance since 2014. That is tied with Bryce Harper for the most in that time span. Guess that’s why they always say where there’s a Wilmer, there’s a way. 

Can you Beat the Streak? Try to top Joe DiMaggio's record hitting streak of 56 games by selecting a player each day to record a hit. If you get to 57, you can win $5.6 million. Plus, new for this year, a chance to win unique weekly prizes.

Who's hot right now: Vlad Jr. would make sense based purely on vibes, but it checks out on the facts, too: He's gotten at least one hit in seven of his 10 games so far, and he'll be facing a rookie starter in Red Sox righty Richard Fitts at a ballpark where he owns a career .356 average in 46 games.

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