Jeff Passan

It's so bad.

There are three teams that are over 500 right now, and I suppose what that does is gives hope to all of these teams that have gotten off to either bad starts like the Red Sox or not up to snuff starts like the Blue Jays, where you feel like there's room to get past the mediocre April.

And I think that's reasonable.

I think it's true.

I'll be really curious, though, to see over time...

How does that change?

Who actually, aside from the Yankees, is going to step up and assert themselves here?

Because that's what they need.

There has to be another team.

I think Seattle is going to be one of those teams.

They've gotten on a bit of a run lately.

But what's the playoff picture going to look like at the end of the year in the AL?

I really do not know the answer to this, and I'm fascinated over the rest of the season to see how it turns out.

No, and I think, you know, I know I was guilty of, I'm not going to say putting too much on Roman Anthony, but perhaps I thought he was ready to take the leap that he is not taking quite yet.

I still buy Roman Anthony, but...

What he's shown over the first month hasn't really given me a whole lot of reason to.

Beyond that, though, and more important, I think, is...

What exactly is the Red Sox offense in this era?

You have to hit home runs to be competitive.

And they just don't put the ball over the fence often enough for at least this incarnation of them to be a contending team.