Cardinals' newest promotion could be next to ascend from bullpen role

The St. Louis Cardinals have reportedly promoted pitching prospect Cade Winquest amidst a slew of injuries to the big-league roster. 

Winquest, 26, was originally a Cardinal farmhand. Drafted in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB draft, he bounced around a few teams before returning to St. Louis. 

This season, Winquest has a 4.54 ERA through 39.2 innings. Not a promising mark by any means, but his elite strikeout rate of 12.9 K/9 gives him high upside in a beleaguered Cardinals bullpen. 

This move comes from desperation in St. Louis. In the past few weeks, the Cardinals have lost Blaze Jordan, Hunter Dobbins, Andre Pallante, and Masyn Winn to varying degrees of injury. 

Winquest is on deck to weather the storm, and if history serves, he could position himself to contribute in 2027, similarly to one breakout hurler from this season. 

Could Cade Winquest be the next Kyle Leahy? 

Winquest had mediocre numbers in the minor leagues—but his metrics were astounding. 

The right-hander—among qualified pitchers who had thrown at least 500 pitches—ranked in the 91st percentile or better in xwOBA, xwOBAcon, strikeout percentage, barrel percentage, and extension. 

Winquest’s elite combination of stuff, perceived velocity, and contact management mirrors Leahy’s breakout campaign last season, although his underlying numbers may point toward an even bigger step forward. 

The Cardinals will have to make big decisions this offseason on their pitching staff. 

What is Pallante moving forward? How many pitchers with poor underlying data can you count on at once? Is health more important than per-inning value? What does Quinn Mathews’ role look like if he continues to spiral down the stretch? And plenty more. 

Thankfully, the Redbirds do have options in the minor leagues. Names like Liam Doyle, Brandon Clarke, Daniel Eagen, and others. The reality is, St. Louis may be hesitant to fire off all their young starters at once and could benefit from a more “low-stakes” option in the rotation. 

Winquest, who will be relied heavily on for bulk innings in the coming weeks, has an opportunity to throw his name in the hat. The Cardinals are looking for expendable internal options, ones not so closely tied to their future, exactly like Leahy. 

Leahy was a buy-low decision, based on a year of solid production. Most couldn’t have predicted how successful his season has been, and it's been a godsend for the Redbird rotation. 

Whether Winquest is effective remains to be seen; however, it’s not necessarily his body of work that draws Leahy comparisons, but rather the scenario itself. 

A bulk reliever, thrust into legitimate opportunities out of necessity, with a chance to cement himself into a role moving forward. 

The bullpen is wide open for 2027 auditions, and so is the rotation. Until the young guns are ready to fire, it’s stop-gap season in St. Louis. 

Winquest still has everything to prove as a big leaguer, but his archetype could significantly aid the Cardinals, and POBO Chaim Bloom should look to add more of his echelon for depth options next season. 

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