Opinion

The 2016 Major League Baseball season has only been around long enough to make a first impression. It'll be a while before we really know what it's all about.

But for now, some things about the 2016 season stand out.

There are dozens of early talking points worth discussing. But for brevity's sake, we've narrowed things down to nine big ones. From players and teams that are and aren't performing well to how the game is being played, these are the early themes that define the 2016 season.

Step into the box when you're ready.

It'd be hackneyed—and overkill—to begin a dissection of the Houston Astros' slow start with "Houston, we have a problem."

It's April. There are 145 games left on the schedule. Grains of salt must still be liberally sprinkled over every statistic and slot in the standings.

But this isn't how things were supposed to go for the Astros.

Last week, we said it was a fact that Minnesota wasn't as bad as its 0-9 record indicated. Lo and behold, the Twins have won five of their last seven games. While Baltimore has maintained its hold on first place in the American League East, the Orioles have gone 3-2 over their last five, which is more in line with expectations.

Barry Bonds needed San Francisco, back when he didn't really have anywhere else.

He needed San Francisco, because nobody should have to deal with being hated everywhere. He still needs it now, even if so much of that hatred seems to have faded into history.

"That's my home," Bonds said. "Nothing in the world takes that away from me. Those are my people, my friends, my family, my history."

Here's the beauty of Bleacher Report's MLB Team of the Week: Big stars can and do make the cut (see: Harper, Bryce), but lesser-known names frequently slip in as well (see: Saltalamacchia, Jarrod). And, of course, there's always room for no-hitters (see: Arrieta, Jake).

Remember, this isn't about career output or future projections. It's about the guys who busted box scores over the past seven days, period. 

There were doubters—critics and naysayers who said Jake Arrieta was destined for regression after his otherworldly 2015 campaign.

Maybe it was because he figured he had already done it in October, so what the heck.

So Kris Bryant, the young star of the Chicago Cubs, went swimming with sharks during the winter in Hawaii. For real. And no, their names were not Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.

The Houston Astros are missing something, but it's hard to put a finger on it...

Wait, no. There it is. Clearly, what they need is a healthy Lance McCullers.

The Detroit Tigers' response to a last-place finish in the AL Central last year was to cast a wide net in the offseason. A few trades and $270 million in free-agent contracts later, it brought back many new toys.

And now, the Tigers can breathe easy knowing at least one of them is panning out even better than they could have hoped.

The Chicago White Sox always used to thrive on turmoil, and maybe they still do.

Or maybe it's just that Chris Sale is really this good.