Andres Chavez
The New York Yankees took a chance on right-hander Cade Winquest, a former St. Louis Cardinals arm who hasn’t played above Double-A yet, in December’s Rule 5 Draft.
According to the rules, Rule 5 Draft picks must spend the entire season on the active roster, and if that isn’t the case, they need to be offered back to their original team. The Yankees love the skillset and the stuff, so they made a decision on Tuesday.
“Cade Winquest made the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. Rare rule 5 pick to ever do so,” MLB insider and New York Post columnist Jon Heyman posted on his X account.
Winquest Is A Statistical Oddity
The Yankees don’t usually select players in the Rule 5 Draft. Winquest was their first pick since Brad Meyers in 2011, and nobody had stuck around since Billy Parker did it in 1973.
With trade acquisition Angel Chivilli struggling all spring, Winquest secured his spot without having the most memorable Grapefruit League stint. He posted a 7.20 ERA in 10 innings, with four walks, eight strikeouts, and three home runs allowed.
Still, it’s easy to see that Winquest is more than just 10 mediocre spring innings. Last year with the Cardinals’ High-A and Double-A teams, the righty posted a 3.99 ERA in 106 innings, with 110 strikeouts. He did pitch 42.1 of those frames in Double-A, finishing with a 3.19 ERA.
The curveball might be Winquest’s best pitch, but he also throws a mid-90s fastball, a slider, and a cutter. As you can probably assume, working with Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake will be beneficial for Winquest’s career.
Winquest Joins An Underrated Bullpen
The Yankees bullpen now has David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Paul Blackburn, Ryan Yarbrough, and Winquest. The organization is still trying to determine whether Luis Gil will open the season in the bullpen or get ready as a starter in Triple-A.
If he is included on the Opening Day roster, he’ll be the final reliever. If he isn’t, other candidates to fill that last spot are Brent Headrick, Jake Bird, and Osvaldo Bido, among others.
The Yankees’ bullpen is not the well-oiled machine it used to be a few years ago, but it’s certainly not a bad unit, and Winquest has a chance to develop into a solid contributor despite his lack of experience at the highest level. Blake and his staff will try to help Winquest find more success with his fastball or some variation of it, and if they manage to do that, he might as well stick around for the entire season.
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