2024 MLB Opening Day Odds: Picks & Predictions

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FILE - Players stand for the national anthem before an opening day baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Minnesota Twins in Kansas City, Mo., on March 30, 2023. An annual study reviewing diversity hiring for Major League Baseball on Thursday, June 15, reported a record low of Black players on opening-day rosters for the second straight year.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
Shane Jackson @Sjacksonmgm Mar 28, 2024, 11:33 AM
  • MLB's Opening Day is Thursday, March 28.
  • The Guardians and Tigers are the biggest road favorites in the opening slate.
  • Minnesota offers value to defeat Kansas City.

MLB’s Opening Day has arrived, and all 30 teams have hope heading into the 2024 campaign.

However, MLB odds force some ballclubs to face reality, and the betting lines for Day 1 help provide everyone a sense of how teams will fare heading into the new season.

2024 MLB Opening Day Odds

Away Team Moneyline oddsHome TeamMoneyline odds
Los Angeles Angels+145 (Open +170)Baltimore Orioles-175 (Open -210)
Detroit Tigers-165 (Open -125)Chicago White Sox+140 (Open +105)
Washington Nationals+130 (Open +145)Cincinnati Reds-155 (Open -175)
New York Yankees+125 (Open -110)Houston Astros-150 (Open -110)
Minnesota Twins-125 (Open -130)Kansas City Royals+105 (Open +110)
St. Louis Cardinals+185 (Open +165)Los Angeles Dodgers-225 (Open -200)
Pittsburgh Pirates+115 (Open +110)Miami Marlins-135 (Open -130)
San Francisco Giants-105 (Open +100)San Diego Padres-115 (Open -120)
Toronto Blue Jays+115 (Open -110)Tampa Bay Rays-135 (Open -110)
Chicago Cubs-105 (Open +110)Texas Rangers-115 (Open -130)
Cleveland Guardians-155 (Open -185)Oakland Athletics+130 (Open +150)
Colorado Rockies+185 (Open +170)Arizona Diamondbacks-225 (Open -210)
Boston Red Sox+140 (Open +155)Seattle Mariners-165 (Open -190)

MLB Opening Day Picks & Predictions: Thursday, March 28

Tigers vs. White Sox – 4:10 p.m. ET

Pick: Tigers -125

The odds for this MLB betting pick have moved since the White Sox traded away Dylan Cease. But the Tigers, who opened at -125, could still be worth backing at their current value.

The White Sox are among the top contenders to lead the league in fewest wins. The Tigers will likely give the ball to AL Cy Young odds dark horse, Tarik Skubal, for the first start.

These two teams are not the same.

Skubal missed the first three months of 2023 but was one of the best pitchers in the league when he made his season debut on July 4. From then on, he led all pitchers in WAR (3.3), posting a 2.80 ERA and a 32.9% strikeout rate.

On the other hand, the White Sox traded away their ace just before the season. They will now start Garrett Crochet in his MLB debut. He is the ninth pitcher in the last 110 years to make his first career start on Opening Day.

Despite going 78-84 last year, Detroit fared well against its division by posting a winning record over all four AL Central foes. The Tigers, who were 8-5 vs. the White Sox, will again look to get off on the right foot against their rivals.

Twins vs. Royals – 4:10 p.m. ET

Pick: Twins -120

There is much to like about the Royals heading into this year, even though they lost 106 games in 2023. 

Bobby Witt Jr. is a trendy MLB MVP odds prediction after signing a massive extension to stay in Kansas City this past winter. Pitcher Cole Ragans, who will start the opener, is an MLB Cy Young odds contender after a solid first impression with the Royals last summer.

But the Twins have minus odds of winning the AL Central for a reason. They are in a class of their own in a weak division, as they proved last year when they won it by nine games.

Minnesota ace Pablo López posted a 3.66 ERA in 33 starts last year, whiffing 234 batters across 194 innings. He held the Royals to a .194 batting average in three starts against them last season, going 3-0 with a 2.66 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings.

Even with Ragans on the bump, Kansas City is no match for Minnesota.

2024 MLB Opening Day Schedule

  • Angels vs. Orioles – 3:05 p.m.
  • Giants vs. Padres – 4:10 p.m.
  • Cardinals vs. Dodgers – 4:10 p.m.
  • Pirates vs. Marlins – 4:10 p.m.
  • Blue Jays vs. Rays – 4:10 p.m.
  • Nationals vs. Reds – 4:10 p.m.
  • Twins vs. Royals – 4:10 p.m.
  • Tigers vs. White Sox – 4:10 p.m.
  • Yankees vs. Astros – 4:10 p.m.
  • Cubs vs. Rangers – 7:35 p.m.
  • Indians vs. Athletics – 10:07 p.m.
  • Red Sox vs. Mariners – 10:10 p.m.
  • Rockies vs. Diamondbacks – 10:10 p.m.

2024 MLB Opening Day Countdown

MLB Opening Day

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About the Author

Shane Jackson

Read More @Sjacksonmgm

Shane Jackson is a Web Content Writer for BetMGM, covering MLB and NBA. After graduating from the University of Kansas, his previous stops include MLB.com, Lawrence Journal-World, Manhattan Mercury, Bet Chicago Sports, WynnBET, and Sportsbook Review.

Shane Jackson is a Web Content Writer for BetMGM, covering MLB and NBA. After graduating from the University of Kansas, his previous stops include MLB.com, Lawrence Journal-World, Manhattan Mercury, Bet Chicago Sports, WynnBET, and Sportsbook Review.