Best 2024 MLB Opening Day Betting Guide | National League
2024 Opening Day is on Thursday, March 28th. Have you done your homework this offseason? If not, take a look below at news and notes for all 30 teams before the first pitch of MLB Opening Day 2024. This MLB Opening Day Betting Guide consists of notes on each National League team’s lineups, starters, roster changes, and weather around the Majors.
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MLB Opening Day: National League
Milwaukee Brewers at New York Mets
Weather: Chance of rain; high 40s to low 50s
MLB Opening Day Starters:
MIL: Freddy Peralta (RHP)
NYM: Jose Quintana (LHP)
Key Additions:
MIL: 1B Rhys Hoskins, C Gary Sánchez, RHP Jakob Junis, 1B Jake Bauers, SS Joey Ortiz, LHP DL Hall, RHP Joe Ross
NYM: RHP Luis Severino, LHP Sean Manaea, OF Harrison Bader, INF Joey Wendle
Key Losses:
MIL: RHP Corbin Burnes, RHP Brandon Woodruff, 1B Rowdy Tellez, RHP Adrian Houser, 1B/DH Carlos Santana, OF Mark Canha, OF Jesse Winker, 3B Josh Donaldson, CF Tyrone Taylor, LHP Andrew Chafin
NYM: RHP Max Scherzer, RHP Justin Verlander, RHP David Robertson, OF Tommy Pham (all at the 2023 Trade Deadline)
The Brewers and Mets are two ball clubs that look different this season. New York spent a pretty penny last season on pitching, but due to various reasons, this team blew it all up and is now left with veteran lefty Jose Quintana as their Opening Day starter. They will get closer Edwin Diaz back, who missed the entire 2023 season.
Milwaukee traded Corbin Burnes to the Orioles this offseason, and now Freddy Peralta officially takes the reigns as the Brewers’ ace. Peralta is a strikeout machine but is also susceptible to walking batters. Milwaukee also welcomes their top prospect, Jackson Churrio, to their opening-day roster. This kid is a star in the making and is already +550 to win NL Rookie of the Year.
Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies
Weather: Chance of rain; high 40s to low 50s
MLB Opening Day Starters:
ATL: Spencer Strider (RHP)
PHI: Zack Wheeler (RHP)
Key Additions:
ATL: LHP Chris Sale, LF Jarred Kelenic, RHP Reynaldo López, LHP Aaron Bummer
PHI: LHP Kolby Allard, RHP Michael Rucker, RHP Max Castillo
Key Losses:
ATL: OF Eddie Rosario, RHP Kirby Yates, RHP Kyle Wright, RHP Michael Soroka, INF Nicky Lopez
PHI: 1B Rhys Hoskins, RHP Craig Kimbrel
The Cy Young award was in Spencer Strider’s hands for most of the 2023 season, but some poor starts toward the end of the year lost him the award. The 2023 strikeout king is back with a new pitch, a refined curveball, and the Braves’ ridiculous offense should be ready to mash again.
The Phillies did not add or lose much this offseason, as they brought back a 2023 playoff team. Zack Wheeler was phenomenal all 2023, and there’s little reason to doubt that he will continue to have success all season long.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Miami Marlins
Weather: Dome
MLB Opening Day Starters:
PIT: Mitch Keller (RHP)
MIA: Jesus Luzardo (LHP)
Key Additions:
PIT: LHP Marco Gonzales, LHP Martín Pérez, LHP Aroldis Chapman, 1B/DH Rowdy Tellez
MIA: C Christian Bethancourt, INF/OF Vidal Bruján, INF Jonah Bride, RHP Calvin Faucher
Key Losses:
PIT: RHP Vince Velasquez, LHP Jarlín García, LHP Angel Perdomo, INF Miguel Andujar
MIA: DH Jorge Soler, SS Joey Wendle, C Jacob Stallings, 1B Yuli Gurriel, RHP David Robertson
The Pirates have a young core of offensive players that they are excited about, but this team lacks pitching. Mitch Keller is their ace, and calling him an ace is a stretch. This team should be improved offensively and fun to watch, but their staff leaves a lot to be desired.
The Marlins lost Sandy Alcantara to injury, Jorge Soler to free agency, and David Robertson walked as well. Miami was a surprise team last year, but it looks like they may take a step back this season. Starter Jesus Luzardo had some great moments last season, but the wheels fell off toward the end of last year, and he had a poor Spring Training.
San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres
Weather: Mid-50s low 60s
MLB Opening Day Starters:
SF: Logan Webb (RHP)
SD: Yu Darvish (RHP)
Key Additions:
SF: CF Jung Hoo Lee, DH Jorge Soler, RHP Jordan Hicks, LHP Robbie Ray, C Tom Murphy, LHP Blake Snell
SD: RHP Michael King, RHP Randy Vásquez, RHP Jhony Brito, LHP Yuki Matsui, RHP Woo-Suk Go, LHP Wandy Peralta, C Kyle Higashioka, RHP Dylan Cease
Key Losses:
SF: SS Brandon Crawford, DH Joc Pederson, OF Mitch Haniger, LHP Sean Manaea, RHP Ross Stripling, RHP Anthony DeSclafani, LHP Alex Wood, RHP Jakob Junis, RHP John Brebbia, LHP Scott Alexander
SD: OF Juan Soto, LHP Josh Hader, LHP Blake Snell, RHP Nick Martinez, RHP Michael Wacha, RHP Seth Lugo, OF Trent Grisham
The Giants were active in free agency, and they landed the best available starter, 2023 Cy Young winner Blake Snell. Snell was just signed, so he won’t start. Logan Webb put together a very impressive 2023 season, so he will get the nod. Rookie center fielder Jung Hoo Lee is a player to watch this season. He is currently +400 to win ROY.
The Padres traded Juan Soto, but they got a solid return. San Diego already had their MLB Opening Day in Seoul, Korea, so this will be Darvish’s second start of the season. San Diego will need to replace Juan Soto’s production, which is a tall task, but this is still a solid ball club from top to bottom. They are attempting to make up for the loss of Blake Snell by adding Michael King from the Yankees and Dylan Cease from the White Sox.
St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers
Weather: Mid-50s low 60s
MLB Opening Day Starters:
STL: Miles Mikolas (RHP)
LAD: Tyler Glassnow (RHP)
Key Additions:
STL: RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Kyle Gibson, RHP Lance Lynn, RHP Andrew Kittredge, RHP Keynan Middleton, INF Matt Carpenter
LAD: RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, OF Teoscar Hernández, OF Manuel Margot, RHP Tyler Glasnow, LHP James Paxton, LHP Matt Gage
Key Losses:
STL: RHP Adam Wainwright, OF Tyler O’Neill, C Andrew Knizner, OF Richie Palacios
LAD: DH J.D. Martinez, RHP Lance Lynn, RHP Ryan Pepiot, OF Jonny DeLuca, LHP Caleb Ferguson, LHP Victor González, UTIL Enrique Hernández, RHP Shelby Miller, OF David Peralta, INF Amed Rosario, INF Michael Busch
The Cardinals had a beyond-disappointing 2023 campaign, and they prioritized targeting veteran pitching to try to boost the team. We are unsure how that will work out for them this year, but we are sure that if Miles Mikolas is your opening-day starter, your rotation cannot be too scary. St. Louis is also dealing with injuries to a few starting position players.
The Dodgers already played two games, and RHP Tyler Glassnow, one of their major acquisitions, has already made a start. Los Angeles lost a lot but gained a lot when the best player in the history of the sport (in our opinion), Shohei Ohtani, agreed to join the club.
Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds
Weather: Mid-40s low 50s
MLB Opening Day Starters:
WAS: Josiah Gray (RHP)
CIN: Frankie Montas (RHP)
Key Additions:
WAS: 1B/OF Joey Gallo, 3B Nick Senzel, RHP Dylan Floro
CIN: IF Jeimer Candelario, RHP Frankie Montas, RHP Nick Martinez, RHP Emilio Pagán, LHP Brent Suter
Key Losses:
WAS: 1B Dominic Smith, RHP Andrés Machado
CIN: 1B Joey Votto, OF/IF Nick Senzel, RHP Derek Law, C Curt Casali
The Nationals did not do too much this Winter, but mostly because they are expecting more production from young players who are already in their organization. Josiah Gray is a solid starter, but he lacks swing-and-miss stuff, which is preventing him from being an ace. Nonetheless, this team should be better offensively and will be a fun team to track this season.
The Reds will start free agent acquisition Frankie Montas on Opening Day. Montas missed almost all of last season with an injury, but he was great for the A’s in 2022. The name of the game for the Reds is offense, so if they are able to get solid contributions from the rotation, this could be a dark horse team in a weak division this season.
Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks
Weather: Dome
MLB Opening Day Starters:
COL: Kyle Freeland (LHP)
AZ: Zac Gallen (RHP)
Key Additions:
COL: RHP Cal Quantrill, RHP Dakota Hudson, LHP Jalen Beeks, C Jacob Stallings, RHP Anthony Molina
AZ: 3B Eugenio Suárez, LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, OF/DH Joc Pederson, LHP Jordan Montgomery
Key Losses:
COL: LHP Brent Suter, RHP Chris Flexen
AZ: OF Tommy Pham, 3B Evan Longoria, RHP Mark Melancon
The Rockies are expected to be the worst team in the National League this season, and it’s not hard to see why. Lefty starter Kyle Freeland has had some moments of good in his MLB career, but most of his moments have been bad. Their rotation is terrible, and this team is not expected to compete whatsoever.
The D-Back swooped in at the last minute and got a deal done with free agent LHP Jordan Montgomery to bolster their rotation. Zac Gallen, their ace, will start off their season on the bump. Arizona made a concerted effort to boost their lineup and rotation after their World Series appearance last season.
MLB Opening Day: Interleague
Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers
Weather: Dome
MLB Opening Day Starters:
CHI: Justin Steele (LHP)
TEX: Nathan Eovaldi (RHP)
Key Additions:
CHI: RHP Yency Almonte, INF Michael Busch, LHP Shota Imanaga, RHP Hector Neris
TEX: RHP Kirby Yates, RHP David Robertson, RHP Tyler Mahle
Key Losses:
CHI: INF Jeimer Candelario, RHP Marcus Stroman
TEX: C/DH Mitch Garver, LHP Jordan Montgomery, LHP Will Smith, RHP Chris Stratton, LHP Aroldis Chapman
The Cubs are the favorites to win the NL Central, and this team is looking to build on a solid 2023 season. Chicago re-signed Cody Bellinger and added international pitcher Shota Imanaga to bolster their rotation. Justin Steele, who had a great 2023, will take the bump for the Cubs against the defending champs.
Nasty Nate Eovaldi, a Rangers’ postseason legend, will open the season for Texas. The Rangers did not add too many players, mostly because their farm system is great, so they can rely on homegrown talent to build on their World Series-winning 2023 campaign.
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