The Pittsburgh Pirates looked to add depth ahead of the MLB Draft via a trade with the Chicago White Sox. The Pirates receive infielder Jacob Gonzalez and lefty-reliever Brandon Eisert in exchange for the number 34 overall pick in this year’s draft along with Triple-A pitcher Jaden Woods.
Pirates’ General Manager Ben Cherington likes the addition of Gonzalez for what he can do as a depth piece in the infield.
“We believe in this team and discussed multiple ways to use the comp pick to strengthen it,”
general manager Ben Cherington said. “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.”
Cherington also noted that the bullpen will benefit from the acquisition of Eisert.
“Brandon Eisert makes us even deeper in left-handed relief,” Cherington said.
Gonzalez is considered to be one of the top prospects in baseball after being drafted in 2023 by the White Sox. He is currently listed as the number 14 prospect in Pittsburgh’s system, and has shown a lot of upside in his first year as a Major Leaguer. Although he’s played a majority of his Major League games at first base, it’s assumed that Gonzalez will play on the opposite side in tandem with Jared Triolo and Nick Gonzales while Konnor Griffin is on the injured list. The 24-year-old prospect played at short stop the most in his time in the minor leagues.
This season with the White Sox Gonzalez was slashing .244/.323/.360 with 21 hits and 17 RBIs through 30 games with the club.
The Pirates also added to their bullpen depth by acquiring Eisert from Chicago. It’s no secret that Pittsburgh’s bullpen has been a huge liability all year long, so there’s hope that Eisert can be another depth piece as a lefty-reliever. The Pirates’ bullpen has the fifth worst ERA since the start of June, but Eisert is having a career year for walk rate (6.8%) and for strikeout percentage (27.4%).Eisert is 2-1 with a 5.93 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings this season for the White Sox.
Although there’s still another half of the season that will soon be getting underway, it is apparent that the Pirates are looking to buy versus sell at this point in the year.
