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Pirates acquire Jacob Gonzalez, Brandon Eisert in trade with White Sox
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- Pirates acquire Jacob Gonzalez, Brandon Eisert in trade with White Sox
Pirates acquire Jacob Gonzalez, Brandon Eisert in trade with White Sox appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
On Friday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates struck a deal with the Chicago White Sox , bringing in 24-year-old first baseman Jacob Gonzalez as well as 28-year-old left-handed reliever Brandon Eisert in exchange for the 34th selection in the 2026 MLB Draft (comp pick) and 24-year-old minor-league reliever Jaden Woods, as per Jeff Passan of ESPN.
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Both teams have been playing solid baseball as of late, and this trade is very interesting to dissect from the perspective of both parties. For one, some White Sox fans may feel very puzzled as to why the team would trade a 24-year-old who's in his first taste of big-league action for a pick that may not even produce a big-leaguer.
The White Sox are currently leading the division with a 48-45 record, and trading away an infielder whom many believe could be an integral part of their future can be a bit confusing. But this just shows that Chicago may not have been too high on Gonzalez to begin with, especially as a first baseman.
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Scouts have Gonzalez's future power value at 40 , which is not going to cut it if first base were to be his long-term home in the big leagues. And with Munetaka Murakami , Miguel Vargas , and Chase Meidroth all locking down first base, third base, and second base, respectively (with Colson Montgomery being the undisputed man at short), Gonzalez may end up topping as a utilityman.
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In that case, the White Sox are doing well for themselves by acquiring a draft pick just after the first round for someone who may not have a long-term home in the team.
As for the Pirates, they are getting a cost-controlled infielder in Gonzalez, who has at least shown that he is big-league caliber. They are also acquiring a reclamation project reliever in Eisert, who has flashed elite stuff but needs to rein it in to maximize his talents.
Only time will tell which team wins big from this trade, but it sure seems like both sides got exactly what they needed in this exchange.
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