As we near completion of the first quarter of the season, The Athletic’s baseball staff has named both a surprise player and an underperformer from each of the league’s 30 teams. Now it’s time to turn our focus onto the teams themselves.

Technically, every club still has a shot to do something special. Yes, even the Reds. They have been so atrocious that they threw a fake no-hitter and somehow found a way to lose. They have the fewest victories in baseball. But here’s a fun fact: as of Thursday, according to FanGraphs’ playoff odds, the Reds have a better chance of making the postseason than three other clubs (A’s, Nationals and Orioles).

Nobody’s saying it’s going to happen, of course. But this is a reminder that there’s still time for things to turn around for other clubs that have stumbled out of the gate — and for the air to come out of the balloon for teams that have started quickly — with the outcome dependent upon how they answer the Big Burning Question that is hovering overhead.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Can the pitching keep this up?

New pitching coach Brent Strom has worked wonders so far, coaxing elite performances out of Merrill Kelly, Madison Bumgarner and especially Zac Gallen. Even the back end of the rotation, Zach Davies and Humberto Castellanos, have pitched reliably well. If the Diamondbacks are going to keep being surprisingly competitive, they’ll need to continue pitching surprisingly competitively. Eyes are fixed on Bumgarner and Gallen in particular. -Zach Buchanan

Atlanta Braves: Do they have enough offense or outfield defense?

With Eddie Rosario recovering from laser eye surgery (out at least six more weeks) and with Ronald Acuña Jr. slowed by a groin strain after being activated from IL two weeks ago following knee-surgery rehab, the Braves need others to step up and pick up the slack created by the departure of first baseman Freddie Freeman, who was one of MLB’s best overall hitters and clutch hitters, and by the free-agent departures of World Series MVP Jorge Soler and Joc Pederson, who along with NLCS MVP Rosario provided a major boost to the outfield and lineup after being traded to Atlanta last July. The outfield defense has been poor with Marcell Ozuna best suited for DH duties but forced to play left field more with Rosario out and Acuña in and out of the lineup. -David O’Brien

Baltimore Orioles: How will the prospects fare upon arrival?

No one expects the Orioles to be in the playoff hunt in 2022. But this is the year that several of their heralded prospects are supposed to make it to the majors. Righthander Kyle Bradish was the first this season, and he struck out 11 batters in the third start of his MLB career. Catcher Adley Rutschman will be the headliner, but righthander Grayson Rodriguez, lefthander DL Hall and outfielder Kyle Stowers, among others, could be on their way in 2022. -Dan Connolly

Boston Red Sox: If this continues, will the Red Sox completely dismantle?

At this point, the Red Sox are fighting simply to avoid last place in the American League East. After playing for the AL pennant a year ago, they expected to be much better than this. There’s surely time to make a run at the expanded playoff field, but if the Red Sox can’t turn it around, their potential fire sale could be epic. Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, Nate Eovaldi, Christian Vázquez, Kiké Hernández and Michael Wacha are all eligible for free agency. Would the Red Sox trade all of them? Would the fanbase ever recover? -Chad Jennings

The Red Sox have had a brutal start to the season, particularly on the offensive side. They’ve shown glimpses of breaking out of the early-season slump but will they be able to do so in time or will it be a summer sell-off in Boston? -Jen McCaffrey

Chicago Cubs: How much can they get back at the trade deadline?

This won’t be as dramatic as the sell-off at last year’s trade deadline, when president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer unloaded Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Báez and Craig Kimbrel within a 24-hour period. But clearly no one in the Wrigley Field clubhouse should feel untouchable, and the Cubs haven’t performed at a level that will compel the front office to hold onto players who are positioned to become free agents after this season. That means All-Star catcher Willson Contreras is very likely wearing a different uniform in August. How far will the Cubs go this time? What about Kyle Hendricks or Marcus Stroman? Will someone make Hoyer an offer he can’t refuse? -Patrick Mooney

Chicago White Sox: How will Tony La Russa handle the ups and downs?

I’m not naive enough anymore to pretend that we live in a world where the main White Sox story is anything but how Tony La Russa acts and reacts to new developments. Even now, when the defining struggle of the first quarter of the Sox season is befuddlement about getting their struggling offense on track, how La Russa will handle it, how he wades through the pressure of a never-ending slate of close games and avoids frying his high-leverage bullpen arms, will take center stage. I’m writing this in the wake of pointed comments by La Russa and his ostensible fifth starter, who is getting a shorter leash than he’d like because of course, the team isn’t hitting well enough to give him one. Hopefully you’re not surprised to learn that most people are viewing it through the prism of La Russa’s management. -James Fegan

Cincinnati Reds: Who will be the scapegoat?

This wasn’t a good team to begin with. The Reds subtracted in the offseason after going 83-79 a year ago, but they’ve also been beset by injuries. A 3-23 start didn’t help a team with diminished expectations, nor did the team president making asinine statements alienating the fanbase on the day of the home opener. Phil Castellini’s golden loafer in his mouth may have temporarily saved manager David Bell or general manager Nick Krall from taking the fall for ownership’s follies, but owners never fire themselves. Someone will have to take the blame, even if that someone isn’t to blame. -C. Trent Rosecrans

Cleveland Guardians: Can they get more out of the surprisingly underwhelming rotation?

Only Triston McKenzie has met or exceeded expectations thus far. He’s the only one of the five with an ERA+ better than league average. Shane Bieber hasn’t been his usual self. Opposing hitters have feasted on Aaron Civale’s cutter. Cal Quantrill and Zach Plesac have some hideous metrics and have allowed baserunners in bunches. This was intended to be, as it always is, the team’s strength. All five starters have demonstrated at least middle-of-the-rotation potential in the past. To this point, though, the group has, by its lofty standards, collectively struggled. -Zack Meisel

Colorado Rockies: Can they survive the NL West?

After Mike Yastrzemski airmailed a 420-foot homer in the ninth inning Monday to give the Giants a 7-6 win at Coors Field, the Rockies fell to 17-18 – their first dip below even since an Opening Day loss to the Dodgers. At that point, the Rockies had lost 11 in a row to the Giants. The NL West heavyweights own these Rockies. Colorado went 10-28 against the Giants and Dodgers a year ago. At this point, five weeks into the season, the Rockies are in trouble of being left behind by the Diamondbacks, let alone compete for a division title with the Dodgers, Giants and Padres. -Nick Groke

Detroit Tigers: Can they salvage the season?

A 12-23 start does not meet the heightened expectations for this team and might be too deep a hole to climb out of. Even if postseason hopes are already all but dashed, the Tigers must try to finish strong and garner positive momentum like they did in 2021. -Cody Stavenhagen

Houston Astros: Is everyone healthy in the bullpen?

This is the league’s third-best park-adjusted offense with a top-10 rotation and bullpen by WAR so far, so picking a concern isn’t easy. But with closer Ryan Pressly nursing an injury and showing lower velo readings than he’s used to, maybe it’s that part of the team that needs a little shoring up. Rafael Montero, Ryne Stanek, and Hector Neris say it’s probably fine, but when you’re looking at a team this good, you have to pick the nits to find the flaws. -Eno Sarris

Kansas City Royals: Can they prove they are indeed on the right track?

This Royals season was supposed to indicate progression toward contention. Through 33 games, the Royals are nine games under .500 and hovering at the bottom of the American League. The Royals fanbase has remained patient since the Royals began their rebuild in 2018, which was not actually a full teardown. But given the club’s continuous expectations of winning, and continuous failing to win, skepticism about the direction abounds. -Alec Lewis

 

Los Angeles Angels: How sustainable is their pitching?

The Angels have thrown seven shutouts this year. The bullpen has been mostly great. The rotation has been healthy and effectively going deep into games. This is antithetical to how the baseball world has (rightfully) viewed the Angels’ pitching over the last decade-plus. Right now, everyone is performing well at the same time. There will surely be adversity or injuries at some point. How much depth does this organization have to handle it whenever it does arrive? -Sam Blum

Los Angeles Dodgers: Will the starting pitching hold up?

This was the biggest concern going into the season before the Dodgers got off to a torrid start in terms of preventing runs (and having more trouble scoring them). That vaunted lineup has turned things up a bit of late, and the rotation has slipped and gotten hurt. Clayton Kershaw is on the IL, as is Andrew Heaney. Their starting depth has thinned as the schedule has taken a toll. Whether they can survive long enough to get reinforcements might be the storyline of the summer. -Fabian Ardaya

Miami Marlins: Can the offense improve?

Fifteen teams have scored more runs than the Marlins, and even if you adjust for that tough home park, that means they’ve got a middling offense. There are some pitchers that need to get right, and some shuffling around in the bullpen they might have to do, but the biggest need for the team is probably for Avisaíl Garcia and Jorge Soler to start playing to the backs of their baseball cards and lift this offense out of mediocrity. -Eno Sarris

Milwaukee Brewers: Can Christian Yelich continue to be a consistent contributor to the lineup?

So far, so good for the Brewers and Yelich. He isn’t posting MVP-type numbers, but he’s been a solid contributor and has shown flashes of being capable of more. His hard-hit and barrel rates are in the top percentiles, per Statcast. He’s lifting balls in the air more than he had last year, which is why he is on pace to hit more home runs. Most importantly, Yelich is healthy and playing every day. -Will Sammon

Minnesota Twins: Is there enough starting pitching?

The Twins currently have three talented dudes who will likely be on innings limits (Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Josh Winder). They just lost Chris Paddack possibly for the season. Sonny Gray has always had durability issues. That leaves them relying on a hopeful rebound by Chris Archer and Dylan Bundy. -Dan Hayes

New York Mets: Can they get/stay healthy enough to fend off their rivals in the NL East?

The Mets have done an admirable job thriving without Jacob deGrom, who is trying to return from a stress reaction in his right scapula. But the challenge just got tougher with Max Scherzer landing on the IL for six to eight weeks with an oblique strain.The Mets have also lost reliever Trevor May and catcher James McCann, and if their bullpen depth is tested, they may need to look toward owner Steve Cohen and his desire/willingness to add payroll before the trade deadline. Spoiler: If the Mets are in position to win, don’t expect Cohen to blink. -Rustin Dodd

New York Yankees: Can they keep firing on all cylinders?

The Yankees have had the best offense in MLB, the lowest team ERA in MLB, and their defense has taken a marked step forward this season. They’ve won low-scoring, close games and have had big innings in blowout victories. Can they maintain this all-around level of performance for most of the season, or will there be ebbs and flows in the completeness of their style of play? It’s unclear what the upper ceiling is for this Yankees team, but it’s clear that the floor is higher than anticipated when the season began. -Lindsey Adler

Oakland Athletics: Will this team start hitting?

After Monday’s 3-1 loss to the Twins, the A’s had the worst team average (.199), on-base percentage (.268) and slugging percentage (.306) in all of MLB. They scored two or fewer runs in 20 of their first 38 games. A’s manager Mark Kotsay said after that game that some guys in the lineup are “progressing,” namely Cristian Pache (who’s hitting well below .100 in May) and Kevin Smith, another good defensive player who’s produced next to nothing offensively. Offense is down throughout the game, and maybe the A’s are experiencing a little bad luck — their .254 average on balls in play is 28th in MLB. They also play in a pitchers’ park that plays even bigger during the spring months. Still. This is historically bad. They’re 27th in homers, 26th in walk rate and 25th in strikeout rate. They are tied for second in sacrifice bunts and sixth in stolen bases, so Kotsay is trying to manufacture runs somehow. He just doesn’t have much with which to work after the A’s parted with Matt Olson, Starling Marte, Mark Canha, Matt Chapman, Josh Harrison and Yan Gomes. -Steve Berman

Philadelphia Phillies: Will the bullpen finally figure it out?

No, this is not a recording. Heading into the season, the Phillies thought they’d upgraded the bullpen after two straight seasons of historic late-inning ineptitude. But once again, this ’pen has turned into that leaky roof that won’t stop dripping. Since the calendar turned to May, the Phillies have a 5.36 bullpen ERA, sixth-worst in baseball, including two blown six-run leads in a week at one point. The relievers’ May walk rate (5.76 per nine innings) is the worst in the big leagues. And new closer Corey Knebel, who was so good early (0.87 ERA, 4-for-4 in saves in his first 10 appearances), now has a 9.64 ERA in his last five outings, including two disastrous blown saves against the Mets and Dodgers. Meanwhile, Jeurys Familia and José Alvarado have been wild and hittable in front of Knebel. So this looks like a big area of focus leading up to another trading deadline. And no, that’s not a recording, either. -Jayson Stark

Pittsburgh Pirates: How will the pitching staff evolve?

The Pirates altered their paradigm at every level of the organization by making many pitchers into starter-reliever hybrids instead of relying on a traditional rotation/bullpen setup. Their hope was Mitch Keller, Bryse Wilson, Zach Thompson, José Quintana and J.T. Brubaker would settle in and do more as the season progressed to keep the bullpen from burning out. However, those guys (with the exception of Quintana) have struggled and the relievers already seemed a weary lot by mid-May. Prospects Roansy Contreras, Miguel Yajure and Max Kranick should soon be ready for roles in the majors. That might push Keller and Wilson, the two starters who’ve scuffled the most, into the bullpen or even off the club. -Rob Biertempfel

San Diego Padres: What will Fernando Tatís Jr. be when he returns?

Manny Machado, so far, is having an MVP-caliber season. A vaunted rotation has delivered, leading the majors in quality starts, and the Padres’ depth in this area gives them an advantage over most clubs. Still, the offense is thin and cause for significant concern. That’s where the Padres hope Tatís comes in, effectively serving as a blockbuster trade acquisition. The team has been projecting that he will return from his wrist surgery in mid- to late-June. There will be plenty of questions whenever that day does come. Will Tatís be back to himself immediately? How long will he stay on the field this time around? Where, on defense, will he spend most of his time? Answers could be a month or so away. -Dennis Lin

San Francisco Giants: Will they stay healthy?

The Giants have scored and prevented runs better than almost every other team in baseball, and their OPS+ and ERA+ marks are at the top of the league, too. Now that Evan Longoria is back and Tommy La Stella is close, the question is how long will it last? There’s a concern with the lineup, as several hitters are over 30, but there’s also a concern with the rotation because the Giants have targeted pitchers who might have been undervalued because of their injury histories. It’s a gambit that’s worked so far, but there’s always the chance of the other cleat dropping. -Grant Brisbee

Seattle Mariners: Will the kids come around?

While Julio Rodríguez has started to find his footing, the team is still waiting on outfielder Jarred Kelenic and catcher Cal Raleigh, both low service time guys, to get going. These two are going to be critical to Seattle’s success. They have produced in the minors. But the team needs both of them to get going if this team is going to have a chance in 2022. -Corey Brock

St. Louis Cardinals: Who’s the shortstop?

After the Cardinals surprisingly optioned former starting shortstop Paul DeJong to Triple-A, it opened the door for an open shortstop position. Edmundo Sosa and Brendan Donovan will be the frontrunners for the job, but things could become complicated now that the organization promoted top prospect Nolan Gorman to the majors. On Friday, St. Louis will slot Gold Glove-winning second baseman Tommy Edman at shortstop to make room for Gorman. -Katie Woo

Tampa Bay Rays: Will the bullpen be good enough?

The offense has been top-third in the league, and there are a couple young players that could play better in the future. The rotation has been top five in the league, and they’ve got flamethrowers Shane Baz and Luis Patiño on their way back from injury. The bullpen, by FanGraphs WAR at least, has been bottom five, and it’s not as easy to spot the reinforcements. The Rays are great at putting together pens with names that nobody recognizes, but this may also be a place where they’ll improve during trade season. -Eno Sarris

Texas Rangers: How will regression play out?

I’m not sure which is the bigger surprise: the brilliance of the Rangers’ pitching or the futility of their offense. Between Martín Pérez, Jon Gray and Dane Dunning, the Rangers have three pitchers who have been very good (at least when they’ve been able to stay on the field, in Gray’s case). The bullpen has also, after a rocky start, been very effective. Meanwhile, the offense ranks near the bottom of the league in every category except strikeouts. Both should regress to the mean a bit, but depending on which one shifts the most, everything — from “very good year” to “very bad year” and everything in between — is still on the table for Texas. -Levi Weaver

Toronto Blue Jays: Will the offense start performing like we expected?

It’s been among the most confounding elements of this Blue Jays team. The offense simply isn’t producing enough. Through the first 35 games, their team OPS ranked in the middle of the American League. They had a 96 wRC+, meaning they’re four percent below league average. This was a team that led the majors in more than one offensive category a year ago and were considered one of the top hitting teams. They didn’t fluke into that sort of hitting and the players’ track record suggests they should be able to work themselves out of this slump, but it’ll take adjustments, more disciplined at-bats and, honestly, probably a bit more batted-ball luck to get out of this funk. They’re certainly capable but they have to do it. -Kaitlyn McGrath

Washington Nationals: When is pitching help coming?

There was good news over the weekend. Stephen Strasburg (rehabbing from thoracic outlet surgery) and Joe Ross (recovering from bone spur removal) threw in simulated games on Friday. Both are expected to continue pitching on a five-day schedule and make roughly seven starts between sim games and minor-league appearances. That would make mid-June a possible target date for their return to the major leagues. Their arrival, particularly that of Strasburg, would be a huge boon for the staff. And if prospect Cade Cavalli is pitching like he’s capable of retiring MLB hitters by that point, that Nationals rotation could position itself to do a 180 as the second half approaches. -Maria Torres