New York Mets vs St. Louis Cardinals Pick and Odds (Feb 24)

• The title-contending New York Mets visit the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter, FL
• New York is star-studded and hoping to unseat the Dodgers for NL supremacy
• St. Louis is in a bridge year, still trying to trade star 3B Nolan Arenado

Two teams with vastly different objectives for the 2025 season meet in this early spring training matchup. The New York Mets advanced to the 2024 NLCS where they lost to the LA Dodgers. The St. Louis Cardinals had a disappointing 83-79 season after which they decided they would reboot with younger players, and to try and trade star 3B Nolan Arenado.

The Mets will start young pitching prospect Blade Tidwell. The Cardinals counter with former Mets pitcher Steven Matz. How will this spring training matchup go?

Mets’ Spring Training Has Started Ideally

In his first at-bat as a New York Met, Juan Soto homered over the center field fence. The highest-paid player in MLB is having an eventful week as he also gifted young teammate Brett Baty an SUV in exchange for Baty giving up number 22.

New York will start young pitching prospect Blade Tidwell. (Is there a better name for an athlete than “Blade?”)

The Mets have questions to answer of their own. They need to see whether top prospect Ronny Mauricio is fully recovered from knee surgery; if Luisangel Acuña needs more minor-league seasoning; and if they need to shore up their starting rotation with Frankie Montas’ injury delaying his Mets debut, probably until June.

The Cardinals Balance Fan Demand with Reality

St. Louis has been a disappointment for two straight years. While they improved by 12 games in 2024 from their woeful 71-91 season in 2023, they are still preparing for a new template with younger players and cutting salary.

They have tried to trade Arenado with a weekend report saying they re-engaged with the Astros on a potential deal. However, it was later reported that there was “no traction” to a trade. Expect them to keep trying.

St. Louis will start the former Met, Matz. Matz is also on the trade block, but he needs to show he is healthy and ready to contribute as a starting pitcher before a team will take him off the Cards’ hands. He had a back injury and pitched poorly in 2024.

The Mets Will Rough Up Matz

With the Mets starting a youngster and the Cardinals hoping that Matz will show enough to make him marketable, it is tempting to think St. Louis will win. But given how poorly Matz has performed, that Soto has started the exhibition season hot, and New York has youngsters with something to prove, they should win the game.