Yankees send reliever back to Cardinals at perfect time for struggling bullpen

When the St. Louis Cardinals didn't add right-handed reliever Cade Winquest to their 40-man roster this past offseason, several fans were left wondering why the organization would let a reliable pitcher go, especially one coming off a strong 2025 season.

Winquest, 25, finished the 2025 season with a 3.99 ERA in 106 innings between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. He struck out nearly 24% of batters he faced while walking only 8.5% of hitters. In 42.1 innings at Springfield, Winquest saw more improvement, finishing his time there with a 3.19 ERA and a 3.38 FIP.

When I spoke to Cade about his success in Double-A, he attributed it to his confidence and the positive environment in Springfield. "When I got called up, I thought 'I belong up here for a reason.'" Springfield's success also helped Winquest want to pitch better. "That (team success) naturally feeds into you and gives you the desire to compete and win."

Winquest finished the year on the Development List, but that was due to him pitching a career high in innings last year. "I'm a competitor at my heart," said Winquest, "but I also want to play until I'm 40, so the rest was nice at the end of a long year."

On April 10th, the New York Yankees designated Winquest for assignment. If another team didn't pick him up and add him to their 26-man roster, his rights would return to the Cardinals. That exact thing happened, and now Cade rejoins the organization that once drafted him.

Winquest struggled in spring training, posting a 7.20 ERA in only 10 innings. He didn't make a single appearance for the Yankees before being designated for assignment. Since no other teams picked up Winquest to put him on their major-league roster, his rights returned to the Cardinals.

Per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Jeff Jones of the Belleville-News Democrat, Winquest has been assigned to Triple-A Memphis. He was not placed on the 40-man roster.

Cade Winquest rejoining the St. Louis Cardinals gives them vital pitching depth.

The Cardinals bullpen has been struggling all year, and the starting staff hasn't been able to pitch deep into games early in the 2026 season. The Cardinals are still above .500, but they're teetering and in need of reinforcements on the pitching side of things. As a team, the Cardinals have the lowest whiff rate in the majors. Their team ERA (5.31) ranks 25th in the majors, and their FIP of 4.66 isn't much better, ranking 21st in the league.

The Cardinals are familiar with Cade Winquest, as they drafted him in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Texas - Arlington. Winquest appeared to be a beneficiary of the revamped development system last year, and losing him via the Rule 5 Draft was a bit disappointing given how much success he saw in the second half last year.

Now, with his rights returning to St. Louis, Cade can work to get back on track with a development team that he's grown familiar with.

When I spoke with Cade last year, I asked him how he would feel if he were drafted to another team during the Rule 5 Draft. He spoke of a willingness to stay in St. Louis and make his way up to the majors. Now, he'll get that chance after having his rights return to the Cardinals.

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