3 way-too-early AL East overreactions that could affect Yankees

The New York Yankees began 2023 with a series win against the San Francisco Giants, shutting out their opponent twice within their first three games of a season for the first time ... ever.

The middle game? Uh ... pass. Next question. But so far, there's been plenty to like about the Yankees' staff, and some offensive players have popped, too.

So where do they rank relative to the rest of the division? What do we know so far? What can we pick from the embers of Opening Weekend, when anything goes and nothing can really be learned for good ... though Lord knows we try to draw conclusions?

Do the Toronto Blue Jays look like the Yankees' closest competitors/AL East favorites? Not quite. Do the Red Sox look like the bottom of the division? We'd say no. And does anyone know who the f*** put these "balanced schedules" together, which allowed the Sox to start Baltimore/Pittsburgh/Detroit, while the Rays go Detroit/Washington/Oakland? Come on now.

Acknowledging that we don't know anything yet, these three early overreactions could create a bit of intrigue in the division.

3 AL East overreactions Yankees should keep an eye out for

Did pitch clock kill Chris Bassitt?

It's certainly too early to judge the Toronto Blue Jays' signing of finesse pitcher Chris Bassitt, who thrives on messing with hitters' timing, immediately before MLB installed rules meant to standardize pitchers' timing.

That said, whenever the Toronto Sun is calling your debut an "abomination," it's worth pointing out.

Bassitt's start in the Jays' series finale in St. Louis featured 10 hits and nine earned runs in 3.1 innings, along with zero strikeouts. Hey, no walks, though! That's something.

After one series, the Cardinals' offense is MLB's gold standard, posting a ridiculous 202 wRC+. How much of that is Toronto's pitching? Literally impossible to say, and the Cards breaking out wouldn't stun any prognosticator, led by Jordan Walker's emergence.

But, knowing what we know about how Bassitt works, he'll be under the microscope until he posts a solid start.

Toronto was lucky to escape The Lou without being swept; if not for an Andrew Knizner dropped third strike (in relief of Willson Contreras) on Opening Day, they might've lost that slugfest, too. A road set with the punch-free Royals should be just what the Canadian doctor ordered to get the Jays back on track.

Tampa Bay Rays look twice as beastly as we thought

Yeah, there wasn't nearly enough love for the Tampa Bay Rays' rotation -- and lineup, to be honest -- entering the 2023 season.

It was just the Tigers. It was just the Tigers. It was just the Tigers. But ... to open the season, the Rays rotation dropped this to put the league on notice:

• Shane McClanahan: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
• Zach Eflin: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
• Jeffrey Springs: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K

Not scared of Eflin, who was guaranteed the largest contract in Tampa Bay Rays history this offseason? No biggie; they'll have Tyler Glasnow soon, and Drew Rasmussen at the back end. Eflin works as a No. 5 -- and, if he doesn't, the Rays can always print someone else in his place.

Add in Randy Arozarena's 3-for-10 opening set with a dinger, and Wander Franco's healthy return (7-for-11 with a laughably good small-sample-size 1.874 OPS), and yes, Tampa looks more frightening than anticipated, even though it's beyond early. Knowing the Rays can peak this high changes the calculus just a little bit.

Boston can hit. Boston can hit at home. The Orioles can hit. The Orioles can hit the Red Sox starting pitching. The Rays? They might just have the best offensive player in the division (non-Judge department) in Franco, and their pitching staff can downright carve. Let's see what happens when they clash with Boston in the season's fourth series.