The Milwaukee Brewers are quietly building out their pitching depth this offseason, and while these moves might not generate headlines in December, they could prove crucial once the 2026 season hits full stride. The latest addition? Left-hander Drew Rom, who’s joining the organization on a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training.
Rom, 26, is a former fourth-round pick by the Orioles back in 2018, and Brewers fans may remember him from a short stint with the Cardinals in 2023. That was his only taste of the majors so far-eight starts, a 1-4 record, and an ERA that ballooned to 8.02 over 33.2 innings. His WHIP sat at 2.08, and the underlying numbers didn’t do him any favors either: an 18.8% strikeout rate paired with an 11.2% walk rate painted a picture of a pitcher still searching for consistency at the game’s highest level.
But here’s the thing: Rom’s big league numbers don’t tell the whole story. There’s more to this arm than what we saw in that brief MLB window.
Rom came into pro ball straight out of high school and made an immediate impression. After being drafted by Baltimore, he dominated Rookie Ball in the back half of 2018 with a sub-2.00 ERA, then followed it up with a strong full-season debut in 2019. Pitching in Low-A, he posted a 2.93 ERA over 95.1 innings, earning a spot in MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Orioles prospects-climbing as high as No. 17 on that list.
He continued to trend upward in 2021 after the canceled 2020 season, starting strong in High-A with a 2.79 ERA and 1.14 WHIP before earning a promotion to Double-A. That’s where the road started to get a little bumpier.
Rom’s performance dipped in 2022 and into the first half of 2023 as he climbed through Double-A and Triple-A. Still, he showed enough promise that the Cardinals included him in the trade that sent Jack Flaherty to Baltimore at the 2023 deadline.
St. Louis gave Rom a shot in the rotation down the stretch that year, but the results weren’t there.
Then came a major setback-shoulder tendinitis that required arthroscopic surgery and wiped out his entire 2024 season. He made just four starts in 2025 for Triple-A Memphis while working his way back, posting a 5.65 ERA as he tried to regain his form.
So what does Milwaukee see in him? For starters, Rom is a lefty with a diverse pitch mix.
He leans heavily on a four-seam fastball that averaged 91.3 mph in Triple-A last season and has started to work in a split-change more frequently-a pitch that could become a real weapon if he continues to refine it. He’s also got a sinker and slider in his back pocket, though he used them less often in 2025.
The Brewers have a history of getting the most out of under-the-radar arms, and Rom fits the mold of a classic bounce-back candidate. He’s still relatively young, has a track record of minor league success, and now has a full offseason to build off his post-surgery return. With an invitation to big league camp, he’ll have a chance to show what he can do against major league hitters this spring.
This move, coupled with the recent signing of Gerson Garabito-another pitcher with starting experience and internation
al success-signals that Milwaukee is intent on stockpiling depth for what’s always a long and unpredictable season. These aren’t flashy acquisitions, but they’re the kind of smart, forward-thinking moves that can pay off when injuries inevitably hit or when a rotation needs a midseason jolt.
Rom may not be penciled into the Brewers’ Opening Day plans just yet, but don’t be surprised if he becomes a name to watch as camp unfolds. And if Milwaukee’s pitching development machine can help him rediscover the form he showed early in his career, this could be one of those low-risk, high-reward deals that ends up looking pretty savvy come summer.
