The St. Louis Cardinals were heavily impacted by the major league portion of the Rule-5 Draft on Wednesday as part of the final day of the winter meetings in Orlando, Fla.
The Cardinals made one selection, taking right-handed pitcher Matt Pushard from the Miami Marlins organization, but they also lost a player as righty Cade Winquest was selected by the New York Yankees.
Before we break down the players, here’s a reminder of how the Rule-5 Draft works:
Held each December, the Rule 5 Draft allows clubs without a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man roster players from other clubs. Clubs draft in reverse order of the standings from the previous season. Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club’s 40-man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons.
Not every club will make a selection, but those that do pick a player must pay $100,000 to the club from which said player was selected. Rule 5 Draft picks are assigned directly to the drafting club’s 26-man roster and must be placed on outright waivers in order to be removed from the 26-man roster in the subsequent season. Should the player clear waivers, he must be offered back to his previous team for $50,000 and can be outrighted to the Minors only if his original club does not wish to reacquire him.
In simple terms: The Cardinals had to pay the Marlins $100,000 for Pushard, but they gained $100,000 from the Yankees. As long as he’s healthy, Pushard has to be on the Cardinals roster for the entire season in 2026 or he has to be offered back to the Marlins.
About Pushard
Now 28 years old, Pushard played his college baseball at Maine. A bullpen arm, Pushard went 4-5 at Triple-A Jacksonville in 2025, making 49 appearances. He had four saves and five holds, pitching to a 3.61 ERA. He struck out 73 batters in 62.1 innings.
Given the looming rebuild and the growing uncertainty of the Cardinals roster, he will get a chance to stick and contribute in St. Louis.
This sounds familiar
Chaim Bloom, who has recently taken over as the Cardinals’ front office leader, took Gerritt Whitlock in the 2020 Rule-5 Draft when he was running the Boston Red Sox. Whitlock became a valuable contributor to the 2021 Red Sox, who advanced to the ALCS, and he’s now one of the better relievers in the American League.
About Winquest
Winquest made 25 appearances between High-A and Double-A in 2025 for the Cardinals, going 5-7 with a 3.99 ERA. He’s been primarily a starting pitcher in the organization, but given his lack of exposure to higher levels of competition, it seems that he’ll head to the Yankees bullpen to try to carve out a role.
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