Cade Winquest’s Future with the Yankees in Question

Cade Winquest’s stint with the Yankees is turning out to be quite peculiar. He hasn’t been utilized in any of the team’s first twelve games, raising eyebrows about the team’s roster decisions. Jon Heyman confirmed that the Yankees have decided to designate him for assignment.

On a different note, Lewis Gil will be taking the field in the series opener against the Rays on Friday. That does raise the question—what about Winquest? The 25-year-old right-hander is now headed to waivers, which means another team could claim him. Alternatively, the Yankees might look to trade him.

If he clears waivers, he might end up back with the Cardinals, the team that originally drafted him, for a nominal fee of $50,000. However, if the Cardinals choose not to take him back, the Yankees could send him down to the minors, which feels a bit like a shrug after all the buildup.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Cardinals welcomed him back, especially since they are rebuilding. They see potential in him, and perhaps so should others, given the right circumstances.

If this really is it for Winquest, it raises some significant questions about how the Yankees managed his time—especially considering they had him for twelve games without a single outing.

Initially, the Yankees didn’t seem to need him on their opening roster, which is typical for competitive teams given the roster restrictions. Yet, he performed well enough during spring training to earn a spot. Then, quite inexplicably, he sat idly by.

According to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, he almost brought Winquest into a game against Seattle during the second series, but felt like one more run was necessary before using him. That “almost” is a bit frustrating, don’t you think?

Boone mentioned that there were several games where Winquest could’ve pitched, yet here we are, four series in and without him on the mound. The team’s overall performance hasn’t been stellar—8-4 isn’t terrible, but it raises the question of whether some valuable relief innings could have gone to Winquest or someone like him.

So far, six of the Yankees’ relief pitchers have already played in at least half of the team’s games, with Brent Headrick managing to get into eight. The Yankees haven’t shown enough trust in Winquest to let him pitch, but it’s puzzling why they kept him for twelve games, utilizing him in such a limited capacity only to DFA him soon after.

Essentially, the Yankees have opted to play with a reduced 25-man roster, potentially missing out on what Winquest could have contributed this season. Winquest was drafted by the Cardinals in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB Draft and had made it to Double-A, posting an ERA of 4.19 mainly as a starter. It’s a confusing situation for him and for the Yankees alike.