​When Jacob Gonzalez was pulled from his Triple-A Charlotte game on Friday in a blunt, mid-inning fashion during Nashville Sounds’ seven-run third, it seemed obvious a trade was brewing. Two hours later, the White Sox announced they had traded Gonzalez to the Pirates in exchange for the 34th pick in Saturday’s draft, Pittsburgh’s Competitive Balance selection for 2026. Included in the deal is a swap of left-handed relievers: Chicago sends Brandon Eisert east in exchange for Triple-A pitcher Jaden Woods.
Whispers persist that the White Sox intend to select prep slugger Landon Thome, son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome, with that No. 34 pick. The signing-bonus slot value for the 34th pick is $2,897,400, a figure that likely edges toward the price of persuading Thome to forgo his Florida State commitment and begin a professional career with the White Sox.
The move comes at a cost, given Gonzalez’s breakout year at Triple-A Charlotte. A first-round pick for Chicago in 2023, he developed a power stroke and an offensive package that had largely eluded him in his first two seasons, slashing .317/.419/.669 with 19 homers—tied for fifth in all of Triple-A, despite playing 28 fewer games than the league leader—and contributing at every infield position. Gonzalez unexpectedly forced his way onto the major league roster with his prodigious slugging, but his hitting dipped at the top level. Even so, his 93 OPS+ was near league average, and he posted 0.4 WAR in 30 games—roughly the value of an average big-leaguer.
Eisert enjoyed a solid if unspectacular rookie season with the White Sox in 2025, posting a 4.39 ERA over 72 appearances to lead the team in that category. His 2026 season, however, has been rocky, resulting in a back-and-forth between the majors and Charlotte; he finishes his White Sox tenure with a 5.93 ERA over 25 games in 2026. With his departure from the active roster, Chicago will need to summon a Charlotte call-up, a transaction to be announced by the club on Tuesday.
Woods, promoted from Double-A to Triple-A in June, carried a 3.16 ERA across 17 games at that higher level. He has continued to smooth out his former control issues at Triple-A, but more advanced hitters have found him more hittable, pushing his WHIP to 1.655 over 10 appearances there. At 24, there remains still considerable upside, but Woods probably isn’t a factor for a significant contribution on Chicago’s South Side in 2026.
Thome currently ranks No. 33 on Keith Law’s draft board for The Athletic and No. 34 on MLB Pipeline, and he is the second-ranked prospect from Illinois. While listed as a shortstop in reports, his draft slot notes him as a 2B/3B—third base is where his father first broke in at the major league level—with notable power potential in his future. Baseball America placed Thome on its All-America Second Team. Given the promising offensive profile and the pedigree, he is positioned as a high-ceiling target for the White Sox at No. 34.