The St. Louis Cardinals are in a much better place this year than they were three years ago. Back in 2023, they were sellers at the trade deadline for the first time under John Mozeliak's watch. One of the trades they made sent Jack Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles for pitching prospects, one of which was left-hander Drew Rom .
Unfortunately, Rom never quite panned out in St. Louis. He struggled in 2023 and missed all of 2024 with an arm injury. Now, he is no longer with the organization.
However, he seems to have caught on with the Milwaukee Brewers . On Saturday night, he accomplished something big, striking out Kyle Schwarber.
Jun 6, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Drew Rom delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Striking out Kyle Schwarber is no easy task. The Philadelphia Phillies ' slugger has hit 24 home runs and has posted a .937 OPS so far this year. However, Rom got to experience something special on Saturday night as the Brewers fell 9-8 to the Phillies.
Rom made his major league debut in 2023 with the Cardinals after being acquired from the Orioles. He made eight starts for the Cardinals that year, going 1-4 with an 8.02 ERA. Before joining the Brewers, he had not pitched in the major leagues since then.
Now, he seems to have found a home in the Brewers bullpen. He has appeared in three games and posted a 4.50 ERA thus far.
Ultimately, the trade to acquire him back in 2023 did not work out well for the Cardinals, as it didn't do much to restock their farm system with major league ready arms, but there is at least a chance for him to thrive in Milwaukee instead.
In Rom's only season in St. Louis, the Cardinals went 71-91 and finished in last place in the National League Central, starting a three-year streak of the team missing the postseason. The trade to acquire him obviously didn't work out for the Cardinals, but he at least seems to have revived his career in Milwaukee, and he'll have a chance to pitch out of their bullpen.
It will be interesting to see if the former Cardinals lefty can pan out with the Brewers and become what the Cardinals were hoping he would when they first brought him in via trade. The Cardinals have a different cast of characters in their farm system nowadays as they continue their rebuild for the future.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cardinals/onsi as Former Cardinals Pitcher Finds Redemption with Brewers, Strikes Out Kyle Schwarber .
