The Yankees have turned the Rule 5 Draft into their personal shopping spree for distressed assets, and their latest acquisition suggests they believe they have found the blueprint to manufacture high-leverage relievers from thin air.
By selecting 25-year-old right-hander Cade Winquest from the St. Louis Cardinals, Brian Cashman is essentially placing a public wager that his pitching lab can replicate the magic that turned Luke Weaver into a temporary savior.
Jack Curry of the YES Network confirmed the strategy, noting that the front office thinks “Winquest can follow a similar pattern as Luke Weaver,” which is code for turning a forgotten arm into a crucial bullpen piece without spending a ton.
The decision to move on from the actual Weaver feels colder than a New York winter, but the numbers suggest the 32-year-old was already sliding back to mediocrity.
After a fairytale 2024 season where he posted a 2.89 ERA, Weaver regressed to a 3.62 ERA over 64.2 innings in 2025, signaling that the magic pixie dust might be running low. The Yankees operate with a ruthless efficiency regarding bullpen turnover, preferring to find the “next” guy rather than paying premium rates for past performance that is unlikely to repeat.
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A Curveball That Defies Physics
Winquest might not have the name recognition, but his raw tools are screaming for the Matt Blake treatment. The University of Texas product tossed 106 innings between High-A and Double-A last season, posting a 3.99 ERA with 9.34 strikeouts per nine innings while displaying the kind of command that usually translates quickly to the big leagues. His calling card is a devastating curveball that generated a ludicrous 46% whiff rate last season, a weapon that could easily become a nightmare for American League hitters if optimized correctly.
Beyond the strikeouts, Winquest possesses the underlying metrics that the Yankees’ analytics department drools over, specifically a 48% ground ball rate that minimizes damage in the bandbox of Yankee Stadium. He excels at keeping the ball in the yard, a skill that is non-negotiable for anyone hoping to survive meaningful innings in the Bronx.
If the coaching staff can tweak his fastball usage to complement that nasty breaking ball, they might have found a middle-innings eater who costs the league minimum.
Looking Ahead: The Rule 5 Tightrope
The catch with any Rule 5 pick is the roster requirement; Winquest must stick on the active major league roster for the entire season or be offered back to the Cardinals. It is a high-wire act for a team with World Series aspirations, as they cannot afford to carry dead weight just to prove a point about their player development system.
However, if Winquest’s curveball is as real as the data suggests, he won’t just be a roster stash—he’ll be the latest testament to the Yankees’ ability to find value where everyone else sees nothing.
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