DALLAS -- This was progress, real measurable progress. In the end, that's what the 2015 season represented to the Yankees on so many levels. It wasn't just that they returned to the postseason, although that's the ultimate measuring stick. It was how they got there that was so impressive.
It was two rookies -- right-hander Luis Severino and first baseman Greg Bird -- making significant contributions when called upon. It was the progress that catcher Gary Sanchez, outfielder Aaron Judge, right-hander James Kaprielian and others made in the Minor Leagues.
It was the realization that the franchise finally is capable of being what managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner has envisioned them being: a roster not built largely around big-ticket free-agent signings.