The Pittsburgh Pirates traded the 34th overall pick in this weekend's MLB draft to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for infield prospect Jacob Gonzalez and southpaw reliever Brandon Eisert, the teams announced Friday.
Chicago also received left-handed pitching prospect Jaden Woods in the deal.
The trade raises the White Sox draft bonus pool to $20,489,500, making it the largest in the 2026 draft, according to Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline. Pick No. 34 - a Competitive Balance Round A pick, one of the few selections that is allowed to be traded - has a slot value of $2,897,400.
Pittsburgh had the largest draft pool at just over $19 million until the trade. Now, the team has $16,233,300 in bonus money, the sixth-most out of 30 teams.
Chicago, meanwhile, now has four selections - including the first overall pick - in the first three rounds of the upcoming draft.
Gonzalez, ranked as the White Sox No. 22 prospect by MLB.com prior to the trade, was the 15th overall pick in 2023. He made his big-league debut in June after Munetaka Murakami went on the injured list, and was optioned back to Triple-A earlier Friday.
The 24-year-old, who plays shortstop and first base, hit .244/.323/.360 with two homers and 17 RBIs in 30 games with the White Sox. He fared much better with Triple-A Charlotte, though, where he slashed .317/.419/.668 with 19 homers, 62 RBIs, and eight steals over 238 plate appearances before his call-up.
Gonzalez played first base exclusively for the White Sox while Murakami was sidelined. In Pittsburgh, he'll shift across the infield and cover shortstop for the injured Konnor Griffin, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports. Griffin is expected to be out until early September due to a finger injury.
"Jacob Gonzalez can complement Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo on the left side of the infield in Konnor Griffin's absence," Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. "He's also a versatile, left-handed hitter who has taken significant steps this season, and who we believe in long term."
Eisert, 28, owns a 5.93 ERA, 4.50 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP across 25 appearances for the White Sox this season, including four starts as an opener. Despite the high ERA, Eisert's struck out 32 batters in 27 1/3 innings for a 10.5 K/9 rate, while issuing just eight walks.
The Oregon native made his MLB debut in 2024, and won't become arbitration eligible until 2028.
Woods, the Pirates' seventh-round pick in 2023 out of Georgia, has worked exclusively in relief during his four-year pro career. The 24-year-old lefty owns a 4.84 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with 51 strikeouts, 15 walks, and one save across 35 1/3 total innings between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis this season. He was promoted to Triple-A last month.
