Toronto Blue Jays vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction & Betting Tips - MLB Spring Training

Prediction published on 25/02/2024, 14:41  by Matthew Newman | Modified on 25/02/2024 at 14:44 in Baseball Predictions

The Pittsburgh Pirates will take on the Toronto Blue Jays in a spring training contest on Monday. 2023 was a small step forward for the Pirates who finished the season 76-86 and they did that without their potential star piece, Oneil Cruz who was injured in just the ninth game of the season. In 87 games in 2022, he had looked like a serious talent so it will be a huge plus for Pirates fans to see him back. They have brought in some veterans with Martin Perez and Aroldis Chapman coming over from the Texas Rangers, Yasmani Grandal from the Chicago White Sox and Rowdy Tellez from the Milwaukee Brewers. They are all late in their careers but are all capable of bringing something to the table to help the youngsters. 

 Toronto will be hoping that they can not only make it to the playoffs this year but actually win a game. They have made it in three of the last four years but have been knocked out in the wildcard round 2-0 each time. They will be hoping that they can still come to terms with third baseman Matt Chapman who is a free agent. One of their key pieces last year, he would be a big gap to fill. Justin Turner has arrived to take over the designated hitter role and utility man Isiah Kiner-Falafa can fill a number of holes around the field. Their starting rotation has the potential to be a strong point, especially if Alek Manoah can refind his best form.