Yankees' bizarre spring ghost reliever called up by Cardinals for MLB debut

The New York Yankees' 2025 Rule 5 Draft pick, intended to help the bullpen after a little unlocking, will be making his MLB debut. That's not surprising; Rule Fivers have to make the MLB roster, otherwise they're returned to their original club in what's colloquially known as a "pathetic do-over" (not really). The shock isn't that Cade Winquest is headed to the league; it's that his debut is coming in August for the Cardinals instead of April for the Yankees, given that he sat on New York's active roster for 16 full days like a ghost before being sent back to St. Louis' system when Luis Gil came back from injury.

The Yankees, at the time, were trying to fudge the rules and delay the inevitable as long as possible. They were being objectively goofy. They'd clearly decided they didn't like Winquest enough to trot him out in anything other than a blowout in either direction, but they refused to lose an asset for nothing. Winquest's supposed increased velocity and sliding-doors near-Yankee selection around Cam Schlittler in the 2022 Draft made for a great story, but none of it manifested in camp; he allowed 13 hits and three homers in 10 innings, fooling very few people.

During his time with the Yanks, they played almost exclusively close games — no kidding! — after Opening Day. Aaron Boone decided 5-0 in Seattle wasn't a good time, nor was the Yankees' 8-2 home opener. And so Winquest sat, sat, sat, pondered, sat, Googled "best coffee shops St. Louis," sat some more, and saw himself officially shipped back out of town so Gil could lose a Friday night affair to Steven Matz at the Trop.

How has Cade Winquest done in Cardinals' minors since leaving Yankees?

Winquest has ... well, mostly been his usual tempting, but erratic self with the Cards. On the season (33 games), he has a 4.54 ERA and 1.16 WHIP but has whiffed a remarkable 57 dudes (12.93 K/9) and walking 3.18 per nine. He's on a 10 1/3 inning scoreless streak, which has prettied up those numbers quite a bit, but ... yeah, this is where the Yankees left him, too. Enough to make you want to see what he's got and what the lab can do with him, not enough to actually show you.

Would you rather see him in the Yankees' bullpen right now over Michael Fulmer? After the 3-2 sweeper to Yordan Álvarez on Wednesday, probably not. Over Justin Topa? Yeah, almost definitely — but then he's right back where he was to begin with, seated in the 'pen waiting for the perfect blowout.

In the end, Winquest begins his next chapter in a much better spot, and leaves the Yankees in his wake as a footnote, disappearing into the bullpen wall like a mirage.

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