Yankees add Cardinals reliever, somehow escape Rule 5 draft without major losses

The New York Yankees' roster overflows every single year, and other teams love to scoop up the droppings during the Rule 5 draft. You can only protect so many high-minors arms, and the Yankees routinely expose starters with upside and, most importantly, relief prospects. Usually, they get plundered.

Somehow, despite dangling all kinds of talent this time around, the Yankees won't have to say goodbye to anyone at the MLB level.

The big-league portion of the Rule 5 draft came and went on Wednesday without a single eligible Yankee being selected and placed onto a 40-man roster. Rule 5 picks must be carried on the active roster all season (pending health), lest they be offered back to their original team. It's a dicey proposition, but that's why lots of relievers get swiped by teams with room to spare (or empty seasons forthcoming where they can stash developing arms without fear).

The Yankees left top-tier prospects like Brock Selvidge (close to MLB ready), Henry Lalane (far from it) and Brendan Beck up for grabs. Slugging first baseman TJ Rumfield was also left up for grabs. Perhaps more importantly, they gave the rest of the league access to Harrison Cohen, Eric Reyzelman, and Hueston Morrill, three relievers all of whom had either the upside or track record necessary to be poached.

Nope. Clean sheet for the Yanks.

Yankees leave 2025 Rule 5 draft without losing a single prospect in MLB phase

Of course, typically the Yankees just grip the edges of their seats and hope nobody steals from them. This time around? They did the stealing, too.

For now, they'll use an open 40-man roster spot on St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Cade Winquest, who I think Cards fans didn't want to lose.

Winquest, a 25-year-old reliever with an elevated WHIP, finally started to get his command in order at Double-A Springfield last year, posting a 3.19 ERA with 42 Ks in 42 1/3 innings. He'll now have to travel north with the Yankees or be handed back to Chaim Bloom and Co. The unlocking process begins now. This was New York's first selection since 2011.

The minor-league phase wasn't much tougher to deal with, either.

The Yankees selected two players — Brewers right-hander Hansel Rincon from the lowest levels of the minors in the DSL, catcher Abrahan Gutierrez from the A's — and lost Single-A relievers Sean Hermann and Adam Stone to the Mariners and Cubs, as well as lefty Matt Turner to the Mets. None of the three face any MLB roster requirements, so the trio is likely permanently gone. Regardless, they didn't factor into the Yankees' future plans.

Maybe this speaks volumes about the way teams throughout the league have appraised these Yankees relievers? Or maybe the Bombers actually read the market correctly and properly judge the league's appetite for their offerings. Either way, the Yankees took a risk and, for the second straight season, were able to escape the final afternoon of the Winter Meetings without regret. Maybe "not getting picked dry" is the new trend.