The White Sox are sending infielder Jacob Gonzalez and reliever Brandon Eisert to the Pirates for lefty Jaden Woods and the No. 34 pick in the draft, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. Pittsburgh will part with minor league arm and its Competitive Balance Round pick to land big-league reinforcements. Both teams have announced the trade.
There was a report in late June that the Pirates were open to moving their CBR-A selection as well as players in their minor league system. They’ve now done both in one deal. Gonzalez debuted this season with the White Sox. He provided near league-average production while playing mostly first base, but was bumped off the roster when Munetaka Murakami returned Friday. Eisert has been a regular in Chicago’s bullpen since last season. He’s scuffled to a 5.93 ERA in 2026.
The trade addresses two of Pittsburgh’s clearest needs. The club lost starting shortstop Konnor Griffin for a couple of months due to a finger injury. The absence of Griffin has pressed utilityman Jared Triolo into a full-time role. Gonzalez isn’t a sure thing, but he possesses much more offensive upside than the glove-first Triolo. He played mostly shortstop at Triple-A this year. The Pirates’ bullpen has the fifth-worst ERA since the start of June. Eisert has missed bats at a career-best 27.4% clip while trimming his walk rate to 6.8%.
More to come…
