Pirates Trade Draft Pick for Bullpen, Infield Help
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates decided that they're going for it this season and have made their first big trade of the season.
The Pirates landed two players from the Chicago White Sox, infielder Jacob Gonzales and left-handed relief pitcher Brandon Eisert, addressing infield and bullpen needs, the team officially announced.
Pittsburgh gets these two players in exchange for the 34th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft and left-handed relief pitcher prospect Jaden Woods.
It's a big trade from the Pirates and one that shows they aren't waiting for the deadline to try and improve their team.
How Pittsburgh Could Make This Move
Pittsburgh can make this big trade, which they were reportedly considering before the draft, as it is a Competitive Balance pick, which are the only draft picks teams can actually move.
These selections are given to teams in either the 10 smallest markets or the 10 smallest revenues, helping those teams compete against the richer ball clubs.
It has a slot value of $2,897,400 and comes six selections after the end of the first round, making it a valuable pick that other teams clearly had interest in.
This trade does drop the Pirates from having the biggest bonus pool, which was $19,130,700 and is now down to $16,233,300, with the White Sox having the biggest bonus pool now at about $20.5 million.
Pittsburgh still has some top picks, including fifth overall, the 44th and 51st overall picks in the second round and the 80th pick in the third round, so they'll still have chances to take some great talents on the first day of the 2026 MLB Draft on July 11.
What the Pirates Get From the White Sox
The Pirates add a crucial left-handed arm for their bullpen in Eisert, who hasn't posted the best ERA (5.93), but is someone they can add immediately and give them three southpaws.
Eisert has pitched in 100 games in his MLB career over three seasons and has good strikeout, walk and whiff rates, but has a slow fastball, averaging at 89.7 mph.
He'll join both Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto in the Pirates bullpen and hope to assert himself as a valuable option going forward.
Woods was one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the Pirates system and comes as a sort of replacement for Eisert.
Gonzalez was the White Sox's first round selection in 2023 (15th overall) and has slashed .244/.323/.360 for an OPS of .683 in 30 games at the major league level this season.
He played mostly first base with the White Sox, but his primary position is shortstop and also second base, playing there 209 games and 99 games in the minor leagues, respectively.
The Pirates need infield depth after shortstop Konnor Griffin suffered another injury, this time to his left hand, that will keep him out for two months.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the Pirates plan to have Gonzalez at shortstop, which puts Jared Triolo back in a utility role, or they'll both move around the infield when needed.
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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.