Reactions to the Yankees’ AL East foes’ first month of play

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Taylor Ward #3 of the Baltimore Orioles prepares to bat in the first inning during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, May 1, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images Pinstripe Alley readers are well accustomed to our traditional end-of-month check-ins around the other five divisions. With that in mind, we’ve decided to take this opportunity in early May to cover one specific aspect that stands out about the journeys of the Yankees’ adversaries in the AL East.

It’s been a weird start to the season, with the Rays currently standing out as the second force in this division and a couple other storylines that few people saw coming: manager Alex Cora getting the axe in Boston, and the Blue Jays failing to capitalize on last postseason’s momentum. Tampa Bay Rays: A different kind of rotation—one that still figures out a way to succeed The Rays couldn’t make Shane Baz and Taj Bradley work last year, and to be frank, they couldn’t make those two work throughout their whole tenure with the club. Shane McClanahan is back, but he doesn’t have the same zip on the fastball as he once did, although it is still effective.

In the end, almost independently of who they throw out there, the Rays seem capable of securing good numbers as a staff, which is the primary reason for this 20-12 record to open the year. Drew Rasmussen has proven himself a terrific, All-Star-caliber starter when healthy, and he headlines this rotation, but seeing two veteran innings eaters in Nick Martínez and Steven Matz feels almost too traditional for Tampa. The skepticism about just how much we can expect from these pitchers is part of why there isn’t a large concern about the Rays’ record, particularly with the news that Ryan Pepiot is out for the year.

Still, they’re probably going to be a feisty bunch, as the Yankees saw themselves in the first series between these two in 2026. Toronto Blue Jays: Missing Bo Bichette and likewise on the other side The Blue Jays got about as close as a team could get to winning the whole thing without actually doing it, and right in the middle of it all was free agent-to-be Bo Bichette. It’s difficult to blame the Jays for not matching the Mets’ offer for Bo Bichette, but it’s also undeniable that both parties are missing each other early on in 2026.