New Crew: Who are Gerson Garabito and Drew Rom?

[Steve Drumwright]

Image courtesy of © Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Brewers have a bit more insurance against injuries and underperformance in 2026. Right-hander Gerson Garabito and left-handed starter Drew Rom agreed to minor-league contracts with a non-roster invite to spring training, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

So what do we know about each?

Garabito sounds like the more interesting of the pair. A 30-year-old Dominican, he stands 6 feet and weighs 180 pounds. He had an adventurous 2025, beginning the season on the Opening Day roster for the Texas Rangers. Garabito, who spent the last four months of 2024 with the Rangers after making his MLB debut in late May, appeared in three games, two in a mop-up role.

It didn't go well. In his second appearance of the season, he allowed eight runs (four earned) on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts in 2 ⅔ innings, in a 14-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. A week later, he made his last big-league appearance of 2025, when he gave up four runs on six hits in 3 ⅓ innings against the Chicago Cubs. Garabito was sent to Triple-A Round Rock a few days later. There, his struggles continued: He posted an 8.81 ERA in 10 starts, walking 18 and striking out 28 in 31 ⅔ innings.

After two months at Round Rock, Garabito was released to sign with the Korean Baseball Organization's Samsung Lions. His fortunes changed in South Korea, where he made 15 starts and went 4-4 with a 2.64 ERA in 78 ⅓ innings. He walked 37, but also struck out 84. That performance is what got the Brewers interested. While he will be ticketed for Nashville, Garabito will be looking to build upon his KBO showing and be an option when the Brewers need to dip into their minor-league depth for an extra arm. He'll also be looking to improve upon his big-league track record. In 21 games, including two starts, Garabito has a 5.77 career ERA, with 13 walks and 30 strikeouts in 34 ⅓ innings.

Garabito was originally signed by the Kansas City Royals as a 16-year-old, in September 2012. He didn't make it to Double A until 2019. He became a minor-league free agent following the pandemic-scrubbed 2020 season and signed with the San Francisco Giants, spending time at Double A and Triple A. He was out of organized ball in 2022 and 2023, pitching in Venezuela, then landed a deal with the Rangers before the 2024 season.

He throws roughly 94 miles per hour, but his four-seam fastball lives in the movement dead zone. He'd do better to turn to his sinker more often, though the changeup and (especially) splitter with which he complements those offerings play a bit better off the four-seamer. He'll be a good candidate for some tinkering, under the Brewers' famously clever pitching brain trust.

Rom, meanwhile, has almost been exclusively a starter, with 104 of his 116 professional games coming in the rotation. He turned 26 on Monday. He's a 6-foot-2, 215-pound left-hander who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He progressed up the Orioles' chain to Triple A in 2023, including a two-day call-up to the Baltimore roster in May. Then, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in the Jack Flaherty deal at that year's trade deadline. He made his MLB debut in late August, posting a 1-4 record and 8.02 ERA in eight starts, covering 33 ⅔ innings. He walked 19 and struck out 32.

His 2024 season was wiped out by injury. He was placed on the injured list with a biceps injury, but then had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder in May, ending his year. He came back in 2025 with three rehab starts at Low A, then made four starts at Triple-A Memphis. In those seven games, he had a 4.24 ERA in 23 ⅓ innings, walking six and striking out 24. His last appearance was in early June. Rom apparently sustained an undisclosed injury. It appears to be another setback with the upper arm or shoulder.

Though he only throws 91 miles per hour, Rom has some interesting secondary offerings. He throws a funky cut-splitter and a plus sweeper, as well as a slider and sinker that round out a starter-worthy arsenal. 

If he can stay healthy, Rom is an interesting arm. Both he and Garabito have the right mix of stuff and experience to start games in an emergency, but each is best thought of as something akin to the Elvin Rodríguez signing last winter—with even lower stakes, since neither initially receives a 40-man roster spot. They're spare pieces, but they could be solid ones. Always amassing depth and leaving themselves ample options, the Brewers have done a bit of reinforcement in advance.

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[Michael Trzinski]

Nice work, Steve!!

[eddiemathews]

De Drew Rom Rom

[Michael Trzinski]

22 minutes ago, eddiemathews said:

De Drew Rom Rom

Somebody told me that her name was Jill...😎

[ClosetBrewerFan]

Should either get added to the 40 man next season. They both have options. 2 for Rom. 1 for Garabito.

[GasserFace]

I would love to see the Brewers player database.  I vaguely remember Garabito and Rom.

My guess is that they have different buckets of players with drop down fields like 2026 capability (All Star, MLB Starter, MLB Roster, Fringe MLB, Org Depth etc) with potential $$ values assigned to each player.  Sort best value by need and assign to an Assistant GM to talk to each player's representative to see if their evaluation and the player's expectations match.  Boom!  Cut a deal and move on to the next list.

I think it would be fascinating to watch this process for a year.  Maybe if I win the Powerball, I can buy myself a seat in the brain trust LOL.

[Samurai Bucky]

4 hours ago, eddiemathews said:

De Drew Rom Rom

Wasn't he part of the Thuggee tribe?  You know, Mola Rom?

 

[Sixtolezcano]

Minor league fodder, I hope.