⚾ Athletics vs. Blue Jays Prediction & Picks: MLB Odds for Friday, March 27

The defending American League champs will look to erupt offensively while getting an ideal opportunity to do so as we make our Athletics vs. Blue Jays prediction.

The Jays boasted one of the top-ranked offenses last year. Now they begin a new season with an appealing opening game from a betting perspective for our MLB picks due to the tasty matchups Toronto's batters will face.

It'll be Luis Severino vs. Kevin Gausman to start, with the first pitch set for 7:07 p.m. ET from Rogers Centre (MLB Network). The Blue Jays enter as the -175 favorite.

⚾ Athletics vs. Blue Jays picks & odds today

See all of our experts’ MLB picks based on the latest MLB odds; picks rated on a 1-to-5 star confidence scale based on betting value.

Total wagered: 1.95 units | Max profit: 2.66 units

🏆 Who will win Athletics vs. Blue Jays?

There's plenty of offensive thump on both sides tonight. But the pitching advantage, and ultimately the largest edge in the game, goes to the Blue Jays.

Severino's ERA ballooned from 3.91 in 2024 to 4.54 last year. And when he exists, the Jays can feast off an Athletics bullpen that ranked 24th last season and tied for the ninth-most nomers allowed.

Score prediction: Blue Jays 7, Athletics 4

💰 Athletics vs. Blue Jays prediction & best bet

Over 8.5 (-110)

Severino just doesn't miss bats anymore. That's been true for a while, but his K/9 plummeted from an already lowly 8.0 in 2023 and 2024 to 6.9 last year.

That sets him up poorly against a Blue Jays lineup rooted in relentless contact. The Jays struck out the second-fewest times last campaign while posting an MLB-leading .265 batting average. Toss in a mediocre hard-hit rate allowed of 41.9% from Severino, and there's plenty of liftoff potential.

The power-packed Athletics can contribute to this Over too. Gausman gave up 21 long balls last year, his highest single-season total since way back in 2018.

🔥 Best Athletics vs. Blue Jays player prop bet

Daulton Varsho 2+ total bases (+121)

When Daulton Varsho does make contact, it's usually of the loud variety. We saw that last year with his career-best .833 OPS and 20 homers across just 71 games.

And we really saw his power surge continue during the spring, when Varsho posted a .380 batting average while clubbing five dingers. Severino leans heavily on a fastball he threw 28% of the time last year, and Varsho fared well against heat during an injury-shortened season while posting a .500 expected slugging percentage.

The lefty is also a designated righty masher, with Varsho producing an .865 OPS against right-handers last year. His sky-high barrel percentage of 15.9 last campaign is a nice little cherry on top ahead of this matchup too, especially after Varsho's smoking-hot spring.

💣 Athletics vs. Blue Jays home run prediction

Addison Barger to hit a home run (+420)

Addison Barger has been raking throughout the spring too while putting up a .991 OPS. Some caution is needed with spring stats, but Barger also slashed .367/.441/.583 under the bright playoff spotlight last fall.

He's a laser-beam machine too, with a hard-hit rate of 51.0 that put Barger 23rd leaguewide last year, according to Baseball Savant. His average exit velocity of 91.7% placed him just outside the top 35 too, and only marginally behind his baseball-launching teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr, who sat at 92.0.

Now Barger gets to spend a chunk of his evening against Severino, who throws a sinker 20.2% of the time. It's a pitch that Barger regularly tattooed last year while putting up an expected slugging of .501.

🚀 Athletics vs. Blue Jays same-game parlay

The correlation is clear here, with Varsho doing his part to lift up the Jays during a win and getting the total over the number.

If you want to get a little more aggressive for a slightly higher payout, plugging in Barger going Over 1.5 total bases is alluring too for all the reasons mentioned above. He's available through DraftKings at +128.

💵 My betting record for MLB picks

The picks above are my first of the MLB season. But here's my betting record during the 2026 WBC.

💡 How I'm betting Athletics vs. Blue Jays: MLB strategy

Follow all of our MLB analysis and expert predictions for baseball season.

I'm confident enough in the Blue Jays exploiting the Athletics' pitching to go a full unit on the Over. I'm nearly there for Varsho too, and am backing off only slightly because he's strikeout-prone at times (28.4 strikeout rate last year), though that's not nearly as much of a worry against Severino.

Just a sprinkle on a home run prop is always wise. That could still lead to a tidy profit here, even with Barger getting the seventh-best odds to go deep through DraftKings.

📊 Live Athletics vs. Blue Jays odds

The action is unsurprisingly slanted hard toward the heavily favored Blue Jays at the best sports betting sites in Canada, with Toronto garnering 88% of the bets on the moneyline and 82% on the run line through DraftKings. The run line is the better option of the two if you're playing a side, though consider looking elsewhere if it lengthens beyond about +125.

It's likely we get further movement in Toronto's direction on all fronts ahead of first pitch. However, the betting on the total is closer, with the Over on 8.5 receiving 60% of the attention.

📈 Athletics vs. Blue Jays betting trends

🚑 Athletics vs. Blue Jays injuries

📺 How to watch Athletics vs. Blue Jays

• Date: Friday, March 27
• First pitch: 7:07 p.m. ET
• Ballpark: Rogers Centre (Toronto)
• TV: MLB Network
• Streaming: MLB.TV
• Athletics starter: Luis Severino (8-11, 4.54 ERA in 2025)
• Blue Jays starter: Kevin Gausman (10-11, 3.59 ERA in 2025)