What’s so encouraging about the Yankees’ evolution in their blistering start to the season

Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

The Yankees had become a basketball team in recent seasons. They were not counting on the length of the roster. Instead, they were star-centric. More and more, they were at the mercy of Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge.

If their two best players excelled, so did the Yankees. But if Judge was injured and/or he or Cole had a down moment, the team sank with them.

For all there was to like about the Yankees in their four-game season-opening sweep of the Astros, let’s start with the fact they did this without Cole and with perhaps the least impactful version of Judge they will have all season.