Apr 7, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Yankees baseball hats and gloves in the dugout out in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images David Reginek-Imagn Images

Yankees Have High Hopes for Rule 5 Pick

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Dec 11, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The New York Yankees selected a player in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in 14 years, plucking right-handed pitcher Cade Winquest from the St. Louis Cardinals.

The club would have to place Winquest on waivers before offering him back to St. Louis if he isn't on the big-league roster for the entire 2026 season, but the Yankees aren't thinking about that potential outcome at the moment.

“Cade’s been somebody we’ve been following since the [2022] draft,” Yankees assistant general manager Michael Fishman said, per NJ.com's Randy Miller. “He was somebody we were targeting in the draft back in 2022. He got picked a few picks before us, but he’s got big velocity, and he’s somebody we really felt has characteristics that our pitching staff, our pitching is good at working with.”

Winquest, who has never pitched above the Double-A level, will have a chance to earn a spot in the Yankees' bullpen during spring training.

Winquist's Background

Winquest, who pitched to a 5.77 ERA in 46 outings (32 starts) totaling 160 2/3 innings during his collegiate career at UT-Arlington before being selected in the eighth round of the 2022 draft, logged a 4.87 ERA over 77 2/3 frames and 24 appearances (13 starts) for the Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals in his first go-around as a professional during the 2023 campaign.

He took a step up in 2024 with the High-A Peoria Chiefs, logging a 3.10 ERA in nine outings (two starts) over 29 innings, but he spent most of the year on the injured list.

The 25-year-old went on to post a 3.99 ERA in 25 appearances (23 starts) and 106 innings with 110 strikeouts between Peoria and Double-A Springfield in 2025.

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Winquist's Scouting Report

According to Baseball America's Geoff Pontes and J.J. Cooper, Winquest keeps the ball on the ground and generates plenty of whiffs while typically showcasing solid command with an arsenal that is headed by a high-90s fastball.

"Winquest shows a good blend of control, swing-and-miss stuff and an ability to generate ground balls at nearly a 50% rate," they wrote. "He throws five pitches: a four-seam fastball, curveball, cutter, sweeper and changeup. Winquest’s fastball sits 94-96 mph, touching 98 at peak with above-average extension, good fastball plane and some cut. His upper-70s curveball is his best swing-and-miss pitch. It has two-plane shape and Winquest shows the ability to land it in the zone for whiffs. His high-80s cutter and low-80s sweeper provide him a trio of breaking ball shapes. His changeup, however, is rarely thrown and not a major part of his arsenal."

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