Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, Odds and Picks for Thursday, 03/26/26

After a long offseason, the 2026 MLB season has officially begun, and we have your Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals prediction right here! The Cardinals overhauled their roster during the offseason, acquiring young pieces including Jack Martinez, Hunter Dobbins, Jurrangelo Cijntje, and Richard Fitts, along with outfielder Tai Peete. However, they also traded away many of their top players, a major red flag heading into the season, sending Nolan Arenado to the Diamondbacks, and both Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras to the Red Sox. The Rays made some moves of their own, bringing in Gavin Lux and Ben Williamson to help strengthen their roster. Tampa Bay will rely heavily on its young core, and while there’s upside, we’ll see how good this team does as the season plays out. 

The Rays are expected to send Drew Rasmussen to the mound after going 10-5 with a 2.76 ERA last season. He struggled a bit in spring training, posting a 4.91 ERA in 14.2 innings pitched. For the Cardinals, left-hander Matthew Liberatore will get the nod after an impressive spring training in which he went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 15 innings. He finished last season at 8-12 with a 4.21 ERA, showing some inconsistency over a larger sample. Despite Liberatore’s strong string, I’m siding with the Rays here. Ben Williamson has been outstanding, batting .348 with 10 RBIs and three home runs, and he should have a favorable matchup against the lefty. There’s also excitement around JJ Wetherholt, who is expected to make the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster. Taking everything into consideration, I expect Rasmussen to settle in early and shake off any spring training rust, and lead the Rays to a solid Opening Day win on the road.

Tampa Bay Rays vs St. Louis Cardinals prediction: Rays ML (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.