Yankees may have just gifted the Cardinals a much needed bullpen reinforcement

The New York Yankees have become one of the premier organizations in baseball at identifying young pitching talent, so when they swiped St. Louis Cardinals' prospect Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 draft back in December, fans were pretty annoyed at the idea of losing a potential impact arm.

That caused many to point out the things the Yankees likely saw in Winquest, but a rough spring training made his spot with New York to be pretty rocky, and now the club has designated him for an assignment before letting him even appear in a big league game.

The Cardinals may be able to bring Cade Winquest back after the Yankees designate him for an assignment

With Luis Gil rejoining the Yankees' rotation this week, the club had to make a roster move, and decided to part ways with Winquest in the process. Per Rule 5 guidelines, an organization must keep a Rule 5 selection on their 26-man roster for the entire season in order to retain their rights.

The Yankees now have five days to either trade Winquest or place him on waivers. They could also work out a trade with St. Louis to officially acquire Winquest's rights and end his Rule 5 status. If the Yankees place Winquest on waivers and he passes through, he will be offered back to the Cardinals.

Winquest was drafted by the Cardinals in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB Draft and posted a 3.99 ERA between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield in 2025, with 23 of those 25 outings coming as a starter. Baseball America had Winquest as the Yankees' number 16 prospect entering the 2026 season, seeing his five-pitch mix as a real tool to help him in New York's bullpen this year and potentially as a starter long-term.

It's widely known how volatile the Cardinals' bullpen has been early in the season, and they don't exactly have a ton of great options in Memphis right now either. If Winquest is offered back to them, he could jump toward the top of the line of guys whom they could call upon to help shore up their relief core in St. Louis.

I'd love to see the Cardinals get to bring Winquest back to the organization. While he's not a top prospect, he has intriguing traits as both a starter and a reliever, and adding yet another arm to their growing collection is in their best interest. Whether he impacts their big league bullpen this year or they let him keep baking as a starter, I'd love for them to continue his development, rather than see a different team get their hands on him.

We'll continue to monitor Winquest's situation over the coming days and whether or not the Cardinals get to bring him back into the fold.