4 Cubs pitchers who could be roster casualties after Jed Hoyer's trade deadline overhaul

In one day, Jed Hoyer took the Chicago Cubs' pitching staff from being a weakness to a strength. After the additions of Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, and Ryan Zeferjahn at the trade deadline, there's a level of expectation for the pitching staff that has been missing since the start of the season.

The roster gymnastics started on Tuesday, as the Cubs designated Jake Woodford for the second time this season while activating Zeferjahn. Zeferjhan, who most expect to eventually turn into the Cubs closer this season, was immediately thrown into the fire, facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in a high-leverage appearance in his first outing. He worked a 1-2-3 inning, including a wizardly sweeper against Shohei Ohtani.

There's more roster manuevering to come for the Cubs. While there was a chance that Gausman would start against his former team on Thursday, Craig Counsell confirmed his first appearance with the Cubs will be against the Kansas City Royals this weekend. Ditto for Clay Holmes, who begin his Cubs' tenure as a member of the starting rotation.

4 Cubs pitchers suddenly on borrowed time after Jed Hoyer's massive trade deadline

In the week ahead, there are going to be pitchers who the Cubs counted on this season that will suddenly find themselves out of a job. It's a sign that the pitching staff has been stabilized, and that there's a new level of expectation moving forward.

Javier Assad

Baseball can be a cruel game. Javier Assad has certainly earned the right to remain on the pitching staff for the rest of the season, but the reality of the situation is that he has minor-league options remaining. He was masterful against the Dodgers on Tuesday night, but it's very possible his next outing is with the Iowa Cubs. The Cubs will need someone stretched out, in case there's another injury, and Assad's options allow him to be that safety net while with the I-Cubs.

Trent Thornton

The only thing that may allow Trent Thornton to stick around through the initial wave of roster moves is that the bullpen is still waiting for several arms to get healthy. Hoby Milner should be back within the next week, but Daniel Palencia is still a couple of weeks away. Shelby Miller, Ben Brown, and Justin Steele are all potential options in September. Perhaps Thornton finds a way to stick around until then, but the door to regression has crept open in recent weeks.

Aaron Civale

Assuming Edward Cabrera returns to health, the Cubs could effectively have six starting pitchers on their roster by the end of August. With Colin Rea moving to the bullpen, and Javier Assad likely ticketed for Iowa in the near future, Civale is likely going to be among the corresponding moves in the near future. The Cubs don't need a second bulk option in the bullpen, especially if Cabrera will be in limbo as a sixth starter and potential bullpen arm.

Antoine Kelly

The good thing about Antoine Kelly is that he has two minor-league options remaining. That offers the Cubs some flexibility in making these moves. He's impressed in his brief run with the Cubs, but he will likely return to Triple-A as depth.

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