After a cold winter with barely any blockbuster deals (outside of Shohei Ohtani changing teams), baseball returns on March 28 with all 30 teams in action for Opening Day.
With all 30 teams in action, there are 30 different moneyline bets available across the 15-game slate. Some games look like even matchups on paper, while others appear more lopsided based on the early odds.
Are the heavy favorites worth betting on? Let’s take a look.
Odds from BetMGM and are subject to change.
Note: This list does not include the two-game Korea Series on March 20-21.
Los Angeles Angels (+145) at Baltimore Orioles (-175)
Last season, the Baltimore Orioles surprised all of baseball by winning 101 games and the AL East. They could be even better this year, especially after trading for 2021 NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and signing All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel in the offseason.
As for the Los Angeles Angels, they took a major step back after losing Ohtani in free agency. They still have Mike Trout and added complementary players like outfielder Aaron Hicks and reliever Robert Stephenson, but they’ve done little to fill the Ohtani-sized void in the middle of their lineup and rotation.
Speaking of Ohtani, the Angels will have a new Opening Day starter after giving him the last two assignments. New manager Ron Washington has tabbed Patrick Sandoval, who owns an underwhelming career 17-37 record.
Burnes will get the start for the Orioles in his Baltimore debut. Burnes has earned three straight All-Star selections and four consecutive top-10 Cy Young finishes, but he took the loss last Opening Day after giving up four runs in five innings.
Even so, it’s worth backing the Orioles at home here. They’re the better team and have the upper hand on the mound and in the batter’s box. It’s going to be another long season for Trout.
St. Louis Cardinals (+185) at Los Angeles Dodgers (-225)
This technically won’t be Opening Day for the Los Angeles Dodgers because of their series against the San Diego Padres in Korea, but it’s still the Dodgers’ home opener. And what an opener it will be thanks to their acquisitions of Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Tyler Glasnow will start again for Los Angeles after making his Dodgers debut in South Korea. Glasnow was solid, tossing five innings of two-run ball against the Padres.
The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to put last year’s 71-91 debacle in the rearview mirror. Offseason acquisition Sonny Gray was supposed to start Opening Day, but he’s been pushed back due to a hamstring strain. Miles Mikolas will start in his place despite surrendering the most hits (226) and earned runs (107) in the NL last year.
Although there’s value in fading the Dodgers this year, it’s tough not to back them at home on Opening Day. They’ll have an ace on the mound and a lineup anchored by three former MVPs in Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Los Angeles’ roster isn’t perfect, but Opening Day should be a joyous affair at Dodger Stadium.
Cleveland Guardians (-155) at Oakland Athletics (+130)
Despite not doing much this offseason, the Cleveland Guardians open the season as big road favorites against an Oakland A’s team that lost 112 games last year – most in baseball.
Former AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber will get the start for the Guardians barring a last-minute trade or injury. Bieber’s made four straight Opening Day starts for Cleveland, including last year when he threw six scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners.
Veteran lefty Alex Wood will likely get the start in what could be the Athletics’ last Opening Day in Oakland before they move to Las Vegas. It’s hard to have much confidence in him, however, based on his 4.40 ERA in Spring Training and his 4.33 ERA last year.
Both of these teams ranked bottom-five in scoring last year and didn’t do much to improve on that front.
The A’s’ “big” acquisitions were signing journeymen like Miguel Andújar and Abraham Toro, while the Guardians’ main acquisition was signing catcher Austin Hedges. Cleveland’s banking on one of its numerous middle-infield prospects to prove something.
This is the Opening Day equivalent of a rock fight that will have the additional emotional tie of new Guardians manager Stephen Vogt making his managerial debut against his old team. Back Vogt to make a good first impression with his new squad.
Boston Red Sox (+140) at Seattle Mariners (-165)
After trading away Chris Sale in the offseason, the Boston Red Sox were prepared to start Lucas Giolito on Opening Day. However, he suffered a partial UCL tear that will keep him out for all of 2024.
Now, the Red Sox will turn to promising young starter Brayan Bello, who just signed a six-year contract extension. The 24-year-old Bello is entering his third big-league season after going 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA last year.
There’s still a chance Boston could sign Jordan Montgomery, but the Red Sox haven’t signed a big-name starting pitcher in years. They didn’t add much to their lineup this offseason, either, acquiring Vaughn Grissom and Tyler O’Neill but losing Alex Verdugo, Adam Duvall and Justin Turner.
The Seattle Mariners missed the playoffs by only one game last year and have a better pitching staff than Boston. They’ll start three-time All-Star Luis Castillo, who fired six innings of one-hit ball last Opening Day.
Still, we think there’s value in backing Boston here. O’Neill has launched a home run on four straight Opening Days, and the Red Sox are used to playing in cold weather. The Mariners are a better team, but Boston has enough talent to steal this game on the road.
Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
