The New York Yankees pretty much never pick anyone in the Rule 5 Draft.
Well, until now.
On Wednesday, they made their first choice in the MLB portion of the annual offseason process since 2011.
Because of the 40-man roster implications, the Yankees usually sit it out.
But this year, they drafted Cade Winquest, a right-handed pitcher from the Cardinals.
He will cost $100,000 for the Yanks to send to the Cardinals. If Winquest stays on the roster all year, he sticks with the Yankees. If he's taken off the MLB roster, he has to be offered back to the Cards for $50,000.
MORE: These 4 legends played in NFL, MLB, NHL as grandfathers before Philip Rivers
Winquest is a 6-foot-2 right-handed pitcher.
The Cardinals took him in the eighth round in 2022 out of UT-Arlington.
He topped out at Double-A Springfield in 2025. There, he made eight starts and had a 3.19 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 42.1 innings pitched.
Overall, Winquest has a career ERA of 4.19 in the minor leagues.
MORE: Mets have lost so much more than just Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz
The Yankees wouldn't want Winquest in their starting rotation, so they likely see early potential in him as a swingman reliever.
His odds of sticking around probably aren't super high, but the Yankees clearly liked Winquest enough to bring him to town and see what he's got in spring training.
More MLB news:
- Dodgers' payroll is even more loaded with Edwin Diaz
- It's a good day to remember Bob Feller's brilliance and his time in the U.S. Navy
- How Aroldis Chapman is able to pitch for Great Britain in the WBC
- What the Kyle Schwarber signing means for the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Poetic paragraph reveals Cody Bellinger's free agent landing spots
- A chicken sandwich at the Winter Meetings costs way more than you could imagine