When Jacob Gonzalez was removed from his game at Triple-A Charlotte on Friday — in a rather brusque manner, pulled off the field in the middle of a seven-run third inning for the Nashville Sounds — it seemed clear that a trade was in the offing.
Two hours later, word came through that the White Sox had swapped Gonzalez to the Pirates in exchange for the 34th pick in Saturday’s draft, which is Pittsburgh’s Competitive Balance pick for 2026. Also included in the trade is a swap of lefty relievers, with
the White Sox shipping Brandon Eisert east for Triple-A hurler Jaden Woods.
Rumors are flying that the White Sox intend to select prep slugger Landon Thome, so of Hall-of-Famer Jim Thome. The signing bonus slot value for No. 34 is $2,897,400, which can’t be too far from the price it will take for Thome to eschew his commitment to Florida State University and begin his professional career with the White Sox.
The opportunity comes at a cost, as Gonzalez had broken out in a big way at Triple-A Charlotte this season. Chicago’s first-rounder in 2023 found a power stroke and offensive game that had largely eluded him in the first two seasons of his career, slashing .317/.419/.669 with 19 homers (tied for fifth in all of Triple-A, this despite playing in 28 games fewer than the league leader) and appearances at every position on the infield.
Gonzalez improbably forced his way up to Chicago with his preposterous slugging, but once there his offense sagged. Still, his 93 OPS+ was not far off of league average, and he managed 0.4 WAR in 30 games — basically that of an average major-leaguer.
Eisert had a solid if underwhelming rookie season with the White Sox in 2025, pitching to a 4.39 ERA but appearing in 72 games to lead all pitchers. His 2026 has been fairly catastrophic, forcing the White Sox to yo-yo him between the big club and Charlotte; he ends his White Sox tenure with a 5.93 ERA over 25 games.
Woods was promoted from Double-A to Triple-A in June, buoyed by a 3.16 ERA over 17 games. He’s continued to tame his prior wildness while at Triple-A, but the more advanced bats at that level have thus far found the lefty much more hittable, as his WHIP has jumped to 1.655 over his 10 games. At just 24, there is still a lot of potential in Woods, but he is unlikely to be a significant factor, or at least one contributing on the South Side soon, in 2026.
Thome is currently ranked at No. 33 on Keith Law’s draft board for the Athletic, and is the second-ranked played in Illinois. He’s a shortstop said to have a future at third base — just has his father broke into the bigs — with prodigious future power. Baseball America placed Thome on its All-America Second Team (the third time he’d been honored as a BA All-American).
The Burr Ridge native attended Nazareth Academy, where he was a teammate of Chicago’s second pick last draft (albeit in the second round), Jaden Fauske. Thome hit .533 with eight homers, 35 RBIs, 49 steals and a 1.676 OPS during his senior year with the Roadrunners.
