Cade Winquest, Yankees’ rare Rule 5 pick, cracks Opening Day roster: who else made the cut?
Shortly after the Yankees made Cade Winquest their first Rule 5 Draft pick in 14 years in December, the former Cardinal connected with his new pitching coach for lunch. It was at The Smith in Midtown that Winquest, already in New York City visiting his girlfriend, first met Matt Blake in person. There, the two discussed a few tweaks the former starter could make as he prepared to battle for a spot in the Bombers’ bullpen, including the implementation of a sinker.
“Where his arm slot is and how he spins the ball, we felt like there was opportunity to add that pitch to help control the right-handed hitters a little bit more and minimize some of the contact quality against him,” Blake said earlier this spring. On Tuesday, Winquest found out that his new pitch, as well as the reimplementation of his cutter, helped him earn a spot on the Yankees’ Opening Day roster despite him having a 7. 20 ERA over 10 innings this spring.
A source confirmed the decision to the Daily News as the Yankees wrapped up their exhibition season in Arizona. “We feel like he’s gonna be a good pitcher,” Aaron Boone said of Winquest over the weekend . “I think he’s shown enough to keep himself in that mix for us and to warrant us taking him.
We’ll see in the end which way we go. But he’s taken to some of the minor adjustments I know the pitching group has had for him. That’s always a work in progress, but I think he’s got a chance to be good.
” The Yankees have had their eyes on Winquest, who has not pitched above Double-A, since his amateur draft year in 2022. Also working in his favor was the team’s desire for depth preservation. As a selection in the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft, the 25-year-old must remain on the Yankees’ 26-man roster all season or be placed on waivers.