We have an AL East battle slated for Opening Day, and we're offering our top Blue Jays vs. Rays player props based on the best MLB odds.
The Toronto Blue Jays kick off their 2024 regular season with an Opening Day trip to the Sunshine State, where they'll visit the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field with first pitch at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sportsnet.
Both these teams are viewed as postseason contenders this season, but only the Jays are featured in the top 10 of the World Series odds. Toronto is priced at +1400 via Betway to win the World Series, while Tampa Bay is trading at +2200.
Based on our look at the MLB projected win totals, the Jays and Rays should be neck-and-neck in the standings for most of the season, so the winner of this series will have an early leg up in the AL East.
Will Toronto's electric offense rebound from a relatively underwhelming 2023 campaign, or will Tampa Bay's trademark quality pitching stifle the Blue Jays' bats in St. Petersburg?
To accompany our MLB player props and best bets for Opening Day, here are our best Blue Jays vs. Rays player prop predictions and MLB picks (odds via our
best MLB betting sites; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Blue Jays vs. Rays game info & odds
- When: Thursday, March 28
- First pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET
- Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
- How to watch: Sportsnet
- Favorite: Rays (-135 via Betway)
Blue Jays vs. Rays player props
- Zach Eflin Under 4.5 strikeouts (+110 via Betway) ???
- Daulton Varsho Over 0.5 total bases (-175 via Betway) ???
- Justin Turner Over 0.5 total bases (-190 via Betway) ???
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Blue Jays vs. Rays predictions
Zach Eflin had the best season of his career in 2023, and he's being rewarded with an Opening Day start.
Eflin managed 9.42 strikeouts per nine innings during his first year with the Rays, and he combined that with a career-low walk rate and some of the best peripheral stats among all starting pitchers. However, he has two factors working against him on Thursday.
First, the Blue Jays didn't really strike out last season. Their 20.9% team strikeout rate was the sixth-best in the majors. Additionally, two of the most strikeout-prone hitters – Brandon Belt and Matt Chapman – are no longer with the team. That leaves Eflin to face a group of especially gritty hitters who tend to put the ball in play.
The second issue for Eflin is that Rays manager Kevin Cash is never afraid to give his starter an early hook in favor of his elite bullpen. If the Jays can get to Eflin early in the game, he may end up going only four innings.
Betway's price on t he Under is by far the best across all of our best sports betting sites, making this a tidy three-star pick.
The Daulton Varsho revenge tour begins on Opening Day.
Varsho faced plenty of criticism last season for his struggles at the plate, but he was quietly still a solid player overall for the Blue Jays, despite what fans angry about the Gabriel Moreno (and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.) trade would have you believe.
However, Varsho looked like a new man at the plate during spring training, recording a 16.7% walk rate and doing a far better job of putting the ball in play. He also stole eight bases, suggesting he's physically ready to play in games that matter.
Betway's price for Varsho to go Over 0.5 total bases is providing us with roughly 11% positive expected value based on NumberFire's projections for Opening Day. That makes this another solid three-star pick.
We have another Blue Jays total bases Over, though it once again comes with very short odds. If you're not comfortable betting such short odds, then you could opt to take Justin Turner Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs at -115 via Betway.
Turner had a great season at the plate last year for the Boston Red Sox before an injury hit him hard down the stretch. He attempted to play through it – to the detriment of his stats – before finally sitting out the final few games of the season.
However, Turner is on a new team and should be healthy following the offseason. He had a solid spring, smashing three home runs and driving in 11 runs. He's projected to serve as the Blue Jays' cleanup hitter this season, sandwiched between Bo Bichette and Varsho.
One of the biggest advantages for both this and the Varsho bet is Eflin's ability to limit walks. The real killer of total bases Overs is the fr ee pass, as it can quickly drain a hitter of multiple at-bats.
We're getting solid value on this play with Betway's odds, so make sure to bet it before the price shortens!
Blue Jays vs. Rays player props made Thursday at 10:15 a.m. ET.
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