Yankees' roster decision ends drought extending to 1973

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The New York Yankees already made history just by picking Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 Draft at all.

Prior to Winquest's selection this offseason, the Yanks hadn't chosen a player in the Rule 5 Draft since 2011.

But then the Yankees went a step further. They decided to keep Winquest on the MLB roster for Opening Day.

The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported the news on X on Tuesday, and with it came an incredibly long drought ended.

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The Yankees hadn't actually kept a Rule 5 Draft pick on their roster since 1973.

The way the Rule 5 Draft works is this:

  • Any player six years into their pro career not on a 40-man roster can be chosen.
  • A selected player has to remain on the new team's MLB team for the entire season.
  • If not on the MLB roster of the new team, the player is returned to his former club.

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It can be quite difficult to make a roster as a Rule 5 pick. Usually, these players haven't gotten that close to the majors.

The 6-foot-2 righty Winquest topped out at Double-A Springfield in the Cardinals' system last year, where he had a 3.19 ERA in eight starts on the mound.

This spring, he didn't even put up great numbers. Winquest had a 6.48 ERA in 8.1 innings, allowing 11 hits and six earned runs while striking out seven.

The Yankees have clearly decided they like what they see enough to keep him around. It's not a given they end up keeping Winquest forever, but they determined it wasn't time to get rid of him yet, and so in the process, they make history.

It's been 53 years since a Rule 5 pick made the Yankees' Opening Day roster. And now Winquest is here.

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