Yankees' rumored bullpen weapon is having the exact spring no one could afford

The New York Yankees use the Rule 5 Draft so rarely that, when they actually selected Cade Winquest from the St. Louis Cardinals in the major league portion, it was hard not to dream. After all, if the Yankees were daring to use a roster spot in that manner, they must've had strong faith or an immediate plan of action.

Midway through a spring training where almost nothing has gone wrong for the Yankees, Winquest has been a rare blight. And if he doesn't right the ship in the next two weeks, he'll be leaving the organization entirely.

Yes, the Rule 5 giveth and it taketh away. If the Yankees view Winquest as a project they can still solve, then they must carry him on the Opening Day roster, whether he's ready or not. If they've lost faith in him completely — little quick, but possible — then they'll have no issue sending him back to the Cardinals if a role with the Yankees isn't in the cards.

But there's a reason why there's been so much focus on Winquest's struggles, as opposed to Angel Chivilli, Osvaldo Bido, and the rest of the potential 'pen wild cards. There's a glaring reason Aaron Boone is asked about him mid-game so often. It's because the Yankees' decision, whether they're certain or not, is final. If his fastball doesn't start ticking up soon, they'll either be trying to bury him in the MLB bullpen (not ideal) or sending him back to his old organization.

And so far, there's been very little to like. His velocity is trending downward. The metrics don't like him. The curveball's not playing with the rest of his arsenal. The 25-year-old has a 5.79 ERA in four spring outings with two home runs allowed, and the reason for Boone's anguished grunt when shortstop Ryan McMahon put another run on his ledger Thursday was obvious. The worse he looks, the harder it'll be to justify bringing him north. But if you don't bring him north, you wasted everyone's time, and forgot to complete the bullpen.

Yankees will make final decision on Cade Winquest soon. Who could make Opening Day bullpen in his place?

Carlos Lagrange has taken some of Winquest's bullpen shine this spring with his spectacular stuff, but it's not going to happen ahead of the opener. Or is it? No, it isn't. Unless ...

David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Tim Hill, and Fernando Cruz are, pending health, safe. Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn are, too. That leaves two available spots, which it seems will be occupied by hard-throwing lefty Brent Headrick and the resurgent Jake Bird. Without a Bird revival, Winquest's plummet would look truly dark. Instead, some focus has been pulled to the Yankees' 2025 trade deadline splash finally looking viable.

But the Yankees didn't make the Winquest pick on a whim. They reportedly coveted him in his draft year and have been working on the addition ever since. That's what's made his spring work so disappointing. They reportedly taught him a "shocking" new pitch. They put a plan into action months before camp in an effort to make the transition seamless. And then he arrived with a diminished fastball that may have torpedoed the whole plot.

They can carry Winquest anyway if they'd like to. But they can't hide him.