The St. Louis Cardinals had a very busy trade deadline this past month, selling off players on expiring contracts, but also managing to receive solid returns in exchange.
Jack Flaherty was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, and the big piece that came back to St. Louis in that deal was left-hander Drew Rom.
Rom has pitched well at Triple-A Memphis since being acquired by the Cardinals.
However, he won’t be down in Memphis for too much longer.
In fact, according to manager Oli Marmol, the young left-hander will pitch Monday’s series opener at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Katie Woo of The Athletic revealed this news on Twitter.
Drew Rom, the headlining pitching prospect the Cardinals received from Baltimore in the Jack Flaherty trade, will start for St. Louis on Monday against Pittsburgh, Oli Marmol says. #STLCards
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) August 20, 2023
The 23-year-old struggled with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides, posting an ERA of 5.34.
However, in his two starts with the Memphis Redbirds, Rom has posted an 0.82 ERA.
This is certainly encouraging for the Cardinals.
Their goal at the trade deadline was to replenish their minor league system and add more arms, which is something they were severely lacking.
Fortunately, the addition of Rom helped them do just that, and now he’ll head to Pittsburgh with the big-league club and will join the Cardinals rotation.
A corresponding move has yet to be announced.
However, the Cardinals may decide to send left-hander Matthew Liberatore down to the minors.
Liberatore has mostly struggled since his return.
Regardless, Rom could be a huge addition to the Cardinals’ rotation as they look to play spoiler on contending teams down the stretch.
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