The last time the Yankees made a selection in the Rule 5 Draft, it was 2011: Netflix was still mailing DVDs in red envelopes, and hitching a ride to the airport in a stranger’s car was more cautionary tale than everyday convenience.
Most surprised to see that streak end this year was Cade Winquest, a 25-year-old right-hander who learned of his selection by the Yankees while completing an afternoon throwing session near his girlfriend’s home in Queens, N.Y.
“I couldn’t talk for probably a good hour. I didn’t know what to think at first,” Winquest said in a telephone interview. “I had to call my agent to make sure this was real, and then I went and called my parents and family. We were all pretty shocked. It was obviously a really cool moment. It’s still a rush, thinking about it.”
To date, Winquest has been the Yankees’ only offseason addition from outside the organization. So what prompted the club to call his name?
According to assistant general manager Michael Fishman, the Yanks have kept a close watch on Winquest since his days at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he put down the bat and became a full-time pitcher.
Fishman said Winquest was next on the club’s board after taking Cam Schlittler in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft. They didn’t get the chance -- Winquest went to the Cardinals in the eighth round, three picks ahead of New York.
"He's got big velocity," Fishman said. "He has characteristics that our pitching group is good at working with. We'll get him with our pitching department and make a few tweaks. He's somebody who hopefully could help us."
The Rule 5 Draft took place on Dec. 10 in Orlando, Fla.; within hours, Winquest said he’d spoken to Fishman, manager Aaron Boone, pitching coach Matt Blake and assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel.
Winquest said Blake detailed some of the characteristics that prompted the club’s interest.
“From what I’ve been told, it’s my ability to spin the ball,” Winquest said. “With my fastball and curveball, I have really good spin on that. Even with my other pitches, I’ve been able to pick up pitches fairly quickly and use that to my advantage.
“What Blake told me was, ‘We love the way you [have] spin capacity on all your pitches.’ He’s really excited to work with me and maybe adjust some grips to make pitches better and maybe add a new pitch. We’ll see.”
Featuring a mid-90s fastball, a big-breaking upper-70s curveball and a low-80s slider as part of a five-pitch mix, Winquest split this past season between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. He went 5-7 with a 3.99 ERA in 25 games, including 23 starts.
Winquest, now the Yankees' No. 30 prospect, allowed 105 hits, struck out 110 batters in 106 innings and walked 39. The curve was his best pitch, holding opponents to a .143 batting average with an impressive 46 percent swing-and-miss rate.
“I made some adjustments with my curveball halfway through the season, and I saw the success with that pitch go up,” Winquest said. “Same with the slider and fastball. That was the big project for me toward the end of the year and going into the offseason, trying to get more carry on my fastball and more efficiency.
“[2025] was definitely a huge step in my career. The first couple of years, I dealt with some injuries, and the consistency wasn’t all there. I haven’t been pitching super long, so I’m still learning to pitch, and there’s always room to grow. But this year, I think I made tremendous strides in my craft.”
As a Rule 5 pick, Winquest must remain on the Yankees’ 26-man roster all season or be offered back to St. Louis for half of his $100,000 selection price.
“I’ll be trying not to give the Yankees that option,” he said. “I’m excited to be in camp and take bits and pieces from [Gerrit] Cole and [Max] Fried and [Carlos] Rodón, some of the best pitchers in the game today.”
Should he make the team this spring, Fishman said it would most likely be as a reliever, an assignment that Winquest said he would welcome.
“I’m pumped to play for this organization,” Winquest said. “It’s definitely the most famous organization in baseball history. I’m ready to go and ready to do everything I can to help this team win.”