NEW YORK -- This New York Yankees season is going to end short of October, but it will still be a success. This is a very un-Yankee-like thought, but the Yankees have built a foundation with a different mindset that might eventually lead to championships.

It might be that one day fans look back at 2016 as the beginning of something special and as a season that contained its own special moments.

It starts with the one and only Gary Sanchez. While the Boston Red Sox have a long lineup of young players who maybe one day could be feted like David Ortiz, there is only one Baby Bomber that you currently could really say that about.

The incredible Sanchez hit another homer on Tuesday, a two-run shot off David Price in the first. It was his 20th, which tied him with Wally Berger of the 1930 Boston Braves as the fastest to 20 home runs. Berger also needed 51 games to achieve the feat. On Tuesday, Tyler Austin nailed a two-run go-ahead homer to right in the seventh and, with the Orioles' loss, the Yankees' wild-card hopes survived another day with a 6-4 win over the Red Sox.

Still, it is nearly inevitable that the Yankees aren't making the playoffs, which means 2012 will remain the last year the club won a postseason game -- the longest such streak for the franchise since 1981-1994. If there isn't a miracle, Yankees manager Joe Girardi will label this year a failure.

"There are some good things that have happened, but no, we are about winning championships," Girardi said when asked if this season could be termed a success even if the Yankees don't make the playoffs. "Whenever you fall short, there is a ton of disappointment. It is very difficult. You look and examine what goes on and what you need to do to get to that level. I think there are successful stories, but as an overall success, no."

The Yankees have actually had a good year, in part, because they have become entertaining again.

The first half of the season was a slog. The most interesting part of the team was an aging superstar who was in the process of being phased out.

True to form, Alex Rodriguez had his moments before the Yankees said goodbye. Only A-Rod could end his career by being cut and remaining on the team for another week. Only he could have a ceremony where thunder boomed when his name was mentioned. And the one and only A-Rod had to remind you why there was so much fuss in the first place by nailing an RBI double in his final game.

A-Rod's exit, like everything the guy had done in baseball, was -- of course -- memorable. But that is not why this year should go down as a success.

The Yankees were a franchise trying to do too many things at once, accomplishing nothing. They could have continued to try to throw money at the problem and overpay to fight for the second wild card year in and year out, but they instead attempted another path at the trade deadline.

They now have a very strong foundation. It begins with Sanchez. Having him in the lineup from April through September figures to add a couple of wins to next year's club. Will he be the hitter we have seen the past two months? Probably not, but the guy is no fluke. He can hit, and he can catch.

There are still questions about what type of major leaguer Austin will become. He will fight with the Greg Bird for first base in spring training. They could share the position in 2017. Aaron Judge and Luis Severino both still have plenty of potential, but it is unclear if they will reach it.

But there is hope for this franchise. Its minor league system is one of baseball's best, thanks to the deals that sent Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman, Carlos Beltran and Ivan Nova out of town.

So the playoffs are almost definitely not happening for the Yankees, but that doesn't mean the 2016 season wasn't one that will go down as important and memorable.