Grading Pirates Trade With White Sox: A Lot of New Upside
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made a big move ahead of the upcoming MLB Draft and it's one that should have immediate impact.
The Pirates announced they traded for Chicago White Sox duo, infielder Jacob Gonzalez and left-handed relief pitcher Brandon Eisert on July 10, while sending back the 34th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft and left-handed pitching propsect Jaden Woods.
It was a late night move for the Pirates, who had to trade this pick before the start of the draft on July 11 and one that wasn't too surprising, with recent reports indicating their willingness to trade it for help.
This trade also addresses key areas of need for the Pirates and may play a big role in keeping them headed towards their goal of making the postseason.
Jacob Gonzalez Becomes Important Infielder for Pirates
The most important part of this trade is Gonzalez, really, as he has higher upside and has a more crucial place with the Pirates right now.
Gonzalez is a young prospect, who MLB Pipeline slid in at No. 14 for the Pirates following the trade, that can fit a few different infield positions.
The Pirates want Gonzalez at shortstop, per Jeff Passan of ESPN, where he played 209 games at in the minor leagues and will fill in for the injured Konnor Griffin.
Griffin suffered an injury to his left hand and went on the 10-day injured list on July 7, but he likely won't return for the Pirates until early-mid September, keeping him out for about two months.
Gonzales will help the Pirates there, and can also play second base, while doing both first base and third base if needed. He'll work with Jared Triolo, splitting time with him at shortstop, while also getting some time in at third base as well with Nick Gonzales there.
The Pirates also get a left-handed power bat, something they targeted this past offseason in the signing of right fielder/first baseman Ryan O'Hearn and trades for second baseman Brandon Lowe and utility man Tyler Callihan.
Gonzales had his best season so far in the minor leagues so far with Triple-A Charlotte, slashing .320/.422/.675 for an OPS of 1.097 in 53 games, with 19 home runs, 12 doubles and 63 RBI.
He didn't have quite the same success with the White Sox, slashing just .244/.323'/.360 for an OPS of .683 in 30 games, but more consistent at-bats with the Pirates could give him the chance he needs to really show off his bat.
Gonzales' advanced stats show great promise for him, with high exit velocities, a great hard hit rate and barrel %, while also possessing a high pull air %, which will benefit him at PNC Park.
There is concern on his splits between home and away at Triple-A this season, batting .344/.447/.748 for an OPS of 1.195 at home and .244/.331/.393 for an OPS of .724 on the road, but the Pirates will hope he can exploit right field at home and still do good on the road.
“We believe in this team, and we discussed multiple ways to use the compensation pick to strengthen it,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said in the press release. “Jacob Gonzalez can complement Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo on the left side of the infield in Konnor Griffin’s absence. He’s also a versatile, left-handed hitter who has taken significant steps this season, and who we believe in long-term.”
If Gonzales can fill in for Griffin with his glove at shortstop, with decent scout grades on his arm and fielding ability, plus add some power to the Pirates lineup, this could end up being a really good add.
Brandon Eisert an Intriguing Southpaw Addition
It's no secret the Pirates need better options in the bullpen and Eisert could really take advantage of this problem.
The Pirates bullpen has been inconsistent all season, generally unreliable, and it's not just been one or two relief pitchers, it's the entire group.
Eisert is in his third season in the major leaues and has 100 games of experience, so this isn't a rookie reliever who is learning major league hitting and
There are some good aspects about Eisert's game, as he has posted a great whiff rate (31.2%), strikeout rate (27.4%) and walk rate (6.8%), while also having one of the better extensions (7.2) in baseball, coming in the 95th percentile.
His extension is crucial, as he has quite low velocity on his pitches, with his 89.9 mph four-seam fastball in the third percentile of all pitchers.
That extension allows Eisert to create deception with his pitches and slyly "add" velocity to them, which former Pirates southpaw Bailey Falter did.
Eisert doesn't really have great stats this season, posting a 5.93 ERA over 27.1 innings pitched, a .243 batting average allowed and a 1.24 WHIP, and struggled recently with the White Sox, with a 9.53 ERA over four appearances in July.
His advanced stats do show he's a bit unlucky, with an expected ERA of 3.41 and expected batting average allowed of .223, so the Pirates are likely hoping they can get him in that range.
Eisert isn't the most impressive bullpen add, but he gives the Pirates some depth with fellow left-handed relief pitcher Evan Sisk recently going on the injured list.
What the Pirates Gave Up
The 34th overall pick was in Competitive Balance Round A, or a competitive-balance pick, the only draft picks that teams can trade.
It's a valuable selection, just six spots off the first round and has a slot value of $2,897,400, so the White Sox coveting this pick isn't too surprising.
Pittsburgh builds through the draft, so giving up this pick wasn't something that came easy, particularly with a strong number of players that would've been available for them.
There were reports the Pirates were interested in trading it, as waiting for the deadline, 23 days away on Aug. 3, is a tad long before they wanted to make a move.
Pittsburgh does have two second round picks, 44th and 51st, plus the 80th pick in the third round, as well as the fifth overall pick, so they'll still have some chances for great talent.
Woods was an intriguing prospect for the Pirates, who had recently promoted him to Triple-A Indianapolis, and was their seventh round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Georgia.
The 24-year old had some promise, but never really was someone that had long stretches of consistently good pitching for the Pirates, while also posting a 7.71 ERA with Indianapolis.
Grading This Trade Between for the Pirates
The Pirates get an infielder that they can immediately play and a lefty that could have a solid role in the bullpen, if he performs.
Perhaps the biggest issue for this trade is that there is a lot more focused on potential, rather than actual results for these players.
Gonzalez wasn't that impressive with the White Sox and Eisert had been struggling in a difficult season with the White Sox.
Pittsburgh needs a better bullpen now and could've had better infield options, had they made that addition in the offseason.
At the same time, the Pirates did address two areas of need right now and did so while not waiting for the trade deadline.
The 34th overall pick was something the Pirates definitely wish they could've used on a better relief pitcher, but with Griffin's injury, they had to pivot to adding to their infield.
Trades are something that take time to really judge and off the bat I would give this a solid "C" grade, that obviously gets better or worse depending on how Gonzalez and Eisert perform.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.