Chaim Bloom makes first mistake as Cardinals' leader after letting arm get away

If you've kept up with my work on the site or over on our podcast Dealin' the Cards, you'll know that I have been a big fan of Chaim Bloom and most of what he has done for the St. Louis Cardinals thus far.

Now, it is inevitable that we are going to disagree with various things any front office does, so I'm not shocked or questioning Bloom's leadership over this, but I do think their recent loss of RHP Cade Winquest to the New York Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft was a miss by the Cardinals' front office. I'm a bit delayed in covering this with all of the other news and rumors surrounding the Cardinals, but I think it's worth diving into why this was a mistake by the Cardinals' front office.

Losing Cade Winquest to the Yankees is a mistake by the Cardinals

Winquest, 25, spent most of his 2025 season in High-A Peoria but made eight starts for Double-A Springfield as well, posting a 3.99 ERA in 25 games (23 starts) across both levels. Winquest boasts a big-time fastball that is able to touch 100 MPH and will be a major weapon for him out of the bullpen

The Yankees sure know pitching these days, and it is the first Rule 5 selection they have made in 14 years, so that should tell you how they feel about an arm like Winquest. If Winquest is able to stick on the Yankees roster for the entirety of the 2026 season, they'll have potentially added a very valuable reliever to their mix and then could even try him out as a starter again, as the Cardinals have over the last number of years.

Winquest seems pretty pumped to be getting this opportunity with the Yankees, and you can tell already that he knows how big a moment this is for his career in this interview, which he did over on the Yankees' YES Network.

Obviously, there is a world where Winquest struggles and is returned to the Cardinals sometime next year, but is this really the gamble the Cardinals should have been taking?

For example, they already showed us they were willing to put Matt Koperniak on waivers after designating him for an assignment to make room for Dustin May. Why wasn't that a move they made earlier to get Winquest on their 40-man? Nick Raquet and Cesar Prieto are two more names on the Cardinals' 40-man that I'm not sure needed to be there over Winquest.

Sure, it would have made their 40-man roster a tight squeeze, especially as they sift through potential trade returns for Brendan Donovan, JoJo Romero, Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado. Trading them would free up a 40-man roster spot, unless one or more of the players they acquire require one.

Again, I'm not here to rip on Bloom and act like it was a horrible decision, but it's fair to acknowledge mistakes in hindsight, and I do think losing Winquest counts as one of those.