The 2026 season is in full swing, and Monday's MLB slate is packed with 15 excellent games.
The day begins with Twins vs Royals at 4:10 p.m. ET and ends with Tigers vs Diamondbacks and Guardians vs Dodgers at 10:10 p.m. ET.
Our staff of MLB betting experts has grabbed five of their best MLB picks today, so here are our best bets for Monday, March 30.
MLB Best Bets Today
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our MLB betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 4:10 PM | |
  | 6:35 PM | |
  | 6:40 PM | |
  | 9:40 PM | |
  | 10:10 PM | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our MLB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Twins vs Royals Total Pick
Both of these teams dropped their opening series and struggled to look in sync on offense. The newly configured Kauffman Stadium could be a welcome sign for both offenses, as it should be more hitter-friendly this season. During the offseason, the Royals moved their outfield walls in by 8 to 10 feet across the outfield and lowered the wall height from 10 feet to 8.5 feet.
Not only is Kauffman Stadium expected to be much more hitter-friendly, but weather conditions should also be ideal. Temperatures are expected to be 86 degrees for the first pitch, with 17 miles per hour wind blowing out to center field with gusts up to 30 miles per hour.
Luckily for Kansas City, Kris Bubic allowed just six home runs in 116 innings last season. He also dominated the Twins in his lone start against them last year, striking out nine and allowing just two hits across seven innings. While I think Bubic has the stuff to overcome the friendly hitting conditions on Monday, I’m not sure about Woods Richardson.
Woods Richardson allowed an 11.4%-barrel rate last season, ranking in the bottom 10% of the league. He really struggled through this spring, getting hit around hard in nearly every outing. In one start against Kansas City last year, the Royals tagged him for four runs.
We saw Kansas City pick things up yesterday with four runs in their win and should carry that momentum over into an exciting Home Opener on Monday. The Royals also fared much better against right-handed pitchers last season, putting them in their stronger splits against Woods Richardson.
Between the friendly matchup, new ballpark dimensions, hitter-friendly weather, and just overall adrenaline from the home opener, expect Kansas City to be able to put some runs across the plate on Monday.
Pick: Royals Team Total Over 4.5 (-135 or Better)
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Bet Labs' MLB System Pick
By Bet Labs
The Texas Rangers come into this matchup at 2-1 on the season. It’s been a solid start on the road, and they’ll look to keep building momentum away from home.
One key matchup to watch is Joc Pederson against Chris Bassitt. Pederson has had success in the past, going 5-for-10 with two home runs in his career against the veteran right-hander.
The Baltimore Orioles are also off to a 2-1 start with all games played at home. They’ll try to defend their field and keep pace early in the season.
Chris Bassitt gets the start for Baltimore, beginning his 12th MLB season — and his first with the Orioles after spending the last three years with the Blue Jays.
The Contrarian Unders for Winning Teams focus on teams with solid win percentages, but the public is heavily favoring the over (≤35% under bets).
In matchups between winning teams, sportsbooks often inflate totals due to perceived offensive capability, yet these teams also tend to have stronger pitching and tighter late-game execution — leading to a profitable edge on the under.
Pick: Under 9 (-105 or Better)
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Pirates vs Reds ML Pick
By Doug Ziefel
The first five innings of this game are going to be fun to watch as Burns and Ashcraft are two of the best starters on the slate. However, it's after they both depart that this game will be decided.
Pittsburgh's bullpen is in dire straits as they had to eat up eight innings on Opening Day, and they worked extra innings each of the past two days. Meanwhile, the Reds' bullpen looked sharp against a quality Red Sox lineup.
Back Cincinnati to take control of this game in the later innings and notch its third straight victory.
Pick: Reds Moneyline (-135 or Better)
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Yankees vs Mariners Prop Pick
By Derek Carty
There is a value opportunity on Ryan Weathers' pitching outs prop.
THE BAT X is projecting 16.17 pitching outs for him with a 54% chance that he records at least 16 pitching outs.
If you can get the over at +160 or better, there is great value here.
Pick: Ryan Weathers Over 15.5 Outs (+160 or Better)
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Sean Zerillo's Tigers vs Diamondbacks Best Bet
By Sean Zerillo
With the addition of star rookie Kevin McGonicle, the Tigers are becoming an increasing threat to win the AL Pennant. Still, I show a fairly sizable edge betting against them on Monday with the Diamondbacks.
Arizona had a rare Sunday off day, following their three-game sweep against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, where they blew multi-run leads in the final two games, allowing them to rest and reset their bullpen. While they reset at home, the Tigers took their first loss of the season in San Diego, using a couple of key relievers, before making the short trip to Phoenix.
Arizona has a clear starting pitching advantage, with a rarely healthy Michael Soroka (3.53 xERA, 4.21 xFIP, 17.4% K-BB% in 2025; projected FIP range 3.97 to 4.25) battling 43-year-old Justin Verlander (4.24 xERA, 4.57 xFIP, 12.8% K-BB% in 2025; projected FIP range 4.42 to 4.88), and the projected gap between them is wider for me is wider for me than it is between the top six relievers in either bullpen (3.85 to 4.10 weighted FIP favoring Detroit).
The offenses are also comparable; either team averages a 110 wRC+ against righties across their nine lineup spots, and Arizona has two top hitters by right-handed splits (139 for Corbin Carroll and 133 for Ketel Marte) in that group.
Moreover, they are the better team on the basepaths with a sizeable defensive edge; the Tigers are above-average defensively as a team, but they have a few soft spots, and two bad defenders (Kerry Carpenter and Gleyber Torres) in particular. Javier Baez is also well past his prime defensively as a 33-year-old shortstop; their best lineup probably has McGonigle at short and Zach McKinstry at third.
Conversely, the Diamondbacks have average to above-average fielders at every position, with Carrol and catcher Gabriel Moreno projecting among the best at their respective positions.
I show an edge on Arizona in both halves; you can bet their F5 moneyline (listed at -128) to -135, but their full-game price at -110 (bet to -133) offers more value.
Pick: Diamondbacks Moneyline (-110 or Better)
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