The White Sox used Friday night to reshape both their draft capital and their roster, landing the 34th pick in Saturday’s draft and Triple-A lefty Jaden Woods from the Pirates in exchange for 2023 first-rounder Jacob Gonzalez and major league reliever Brandon Eisert, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
That extra pick comes with a slot value of $2,897,400, and it gives Chicago three of the first 41 selections in the 2026 draft. It also pushes the White Sox to the top of the board financially, with the largest bonus pool in the class at just under $20.5 million. Because the pick is classified as a Competitive Balance selection by MLB, it was eligible to be moved, and Chicago now has even more room to maneuver as it works through the No. 1 pick signing bonus and any overslot targets later in the draft.
That flexibility could matter. Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo pointed out Friday that college baseball’s new eligibility rules, along with the uncertainty around a possible lockout and changes to the amateur system, may make overslot deals harder to land this year. Extra pool money only helps in that environment, especially if the White Sox are chasing late-rising prep bats such as Jack Slightom or Landon Thome, both of whom were linked to Chicago in the final mock draft.
The Pirates, meanwhile, still have plenty of money to work with even after moving the pick. They entered the day with the biggest bonus pool in the draft and now sit at north of $16.2 million, which ranks sixth. They also hold picks at 44 and 51 in the second round, with the latter coming as compensation after they failed to sign 2025 second-rounder Angel Cervantes.
Woods gives the White Sox another arm to add to the system. The 24-year-old left-hander, taken by Pittsburgh in the seventh round in 2023 out of Georgia, began this season in Double-A before moving up to Triple-A in June.
He has posted a 4.58 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 51 strikeouts in 35.1 innings. His mix is built around a 92-94 mph fastball that has reached 97 and a low-to-mid-80s slider, both of which can miss bats, though his command comes and goes and may keep him in more of a middle-relief role.
Woods was ranked just outside the Pirates’ Top 30 before the season.
For Pittsburgh, the return is geared toward the big league club right away. Eisert, 28, adds another left-handed option to the bullpen, while Gonzalez appears positioned to step in as the everyday shortstop with Konnor Griffin expected to miss the next 8-10 weeks because of a torn tendon in his left ring finger.
Gonzalez’s path in pro ball had been uneven before this season, but his bat has taken a real step forward. The White Sox saw the version of him they hoped for when they drafted him, with his exit velocities climbing sharply without a drop in contact or approach. He can also handle multiple infield spots defensively.
At Triple-A, Gonzalez hit .317/.419/.668, then got his first major league call and batted .244/.323/.360 over 30 games. He entered the trade ranked No. 16 in the White Sox system.
In Other News...
White Sox Just Made A Bold Bet With Recent MLB Talent
The White Sox added another layer to their recent roster-and-rebuild juggling act by turning a package of young talent into a premium draft asset. Chicago landed the 34th overall pick in the upcoming MLB draft, a Competitive Balance Round A selection, while also bringing in left-handed pitching prospect Jaden Woods in a deal that sent Jacob Gonzalez and left-handed reliever Brandon Eisert to Pittsburgh.
For a club still sorting out its long-term core, the move is notable because it gives the front office more draft capital while also clearing room for another organization to plug in a recent major league debutant. Gonzalez had just reached the big leagues with Chicago, but the White Sox clearly viewed the chance to add a high-end pick as worth the cost, especially with the draft now offering another path to reshape the system. [Read more 🡒]
Tristan Peters Delivers A Rare White Sox Milestone Fans Wont Forget
Tristan Peters gave Rate Field a moment worth filing away for years, turning a routine game against the Athletics into one of the rarest nights in White Sox history. The center fielder completed the cycle with a triple in the seventh inning, a fitting final piece to a performance that put him in a very small club and added another memorable chapter to a season in which he has emerged as a real bright spot for Chicago.
For a team still sorting through its long-term identity, Peters has been one of the more encouraging developments since arriving from Tampa Bay in a cash deal last December. He has been productive across the board and, with this latest milestone, has given White Sox fans something beyond the usual nightly box score to remember, even if the bigger question around his place in the lineup now feels a little more interesting than it did a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]