Teams that underwent major changes in the offseason will jump-start 2019 MLB Opening Day at 1:05 p.m. ET on Thursday when the New York Mets travel to D.C. to take on the Washington Nationals. The lineups will look significantly different for both squads, but the aces remain the same. Max Scherzer takes the hill for the Nationals, while Jacob deGrom gets the nod for the Mets in a game whose over-under of 6.5 is the lowest on the 2019 MLB Opening Day schedule. Washington is a -132 favorite on the money line (risk $132 to win $100), while New York is +112 (risk $100 to win $112) in the latest Nationals vs. Mets odds. Given the streak he's on, you should see the 2019 MLB Opening Day predictions from SportsLine's Adam Thompson before locking in any Nationals vs. Mets picks.

Thompson raked in the winning as SportsLine's top MLB handicapper last year, hitting on 61 percent of his money line picks for a massive profit of $4,062 to $100 players. He's also on a scorching 23-4 run on his MLB picks dating back to last year, a streak that included hitting every World Series game and nailing the Mariners' win over the Athletics in the 2019 opener in Japan. 

Thompson, who covered major sports for 20 years as a writer and columnist before joining SportsLine as a senior writer and handicapper, cites deeply-researched stats and trends you haven't considered to build his MLB success. Anybody who has followed his MLB picks is way, way up.

Now, Thompson has studied Nationals vs. Mets on MLB Opening Day 2019 and locked in a confident money line play at SportsLine.

Thompson has taken into account that even though the Nationals lost Bryce Harper to division rival Philadelphia, Washington still has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about its lineup heading into the season. While Harper's nine-figure deal with Philly grabbed headlines, the Nats quietly added reinforcements to their lineup like second baseman Brian Dozier and catcher Yan Gomes, adding to an already deep group that includes 2018 Rookie of the Year runner-up Juan Soto, Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman. 

With the 34-year old Scherzer showing few signs of slowing down as he comes off three straight years with an ERA of under 3.00 and a WHIP under 1.00, the Nationals have a balanced mix of hitting and pitching that gives them a strong chance of picking up a 2019 MLB Opening Day win. 

But just because the Nationals have Scherzer on the hill doesn't mean they're the best value on the money line on MLB Opening Day 2019.

That's because the Mets will have deGrom, fresh off signing a five-year, $137.5 million contract extension, on the bump. Don't let his 10-9 record last year deceive you because he was actually better than Scherzer in terms of ERA with a career-best 1.70. 

Run support was a huge issue for him last year, but the Mets took several steps this offseason to bolster their lineup. Most notable is the addition of Robinson Cano, a career .304 hitter who has 30 home run upside. 

Thompson has studied this matchup from every angle and unearthed a hidden x-factor you're not even thinking about that determines which side of the money line has all the value. He's only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine. 

So who wins Mets vs. Nationals? And what hidden x-factor makes one side a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Mets vs. Nationals money line has all the value, all from the MLB expert who hit 61 of his MLB money line picks in 2018 for a profit of more than $4,000 to $100 players.