What happened: The White Sox traded infielder Jacob Gonzalez and left-handed reliever Brandon Eisert to the Pirates for the 34th pick in Saturday's draft, Pittsburgh's Competitive Balance selection, plus Triple-A lefty Jaden Woods. Chicago is reportedly eyeing prep shortstop Landon Thome, son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome, with the pick. Gonzalez was pulled from Triple-A Charlotte's game Friday roughly two hours before the trade was announced.

Why it matters: Gonzalez, Chicago's 2023 first-round pick, had broken out at Triple-A Charlotte, slashing .317/.419/.669 with 19 homers before his offense sagged over 30 games with the White Sox to a 93 OPS+ and 0.4 WAR. The same Gonzalez who hit his first career home run for Chicago last month now heads to Pittsburgh. Eisert led all White Sox pitchers with 72 appearances as a rookie in 2025, but his ERA climbed to 5.93 over 25 games in 2026, and his exit means a Triple-A call-up to fill his active-roster spot.

What to watch: The White Sox are expected to announce Eisert's Triple-A replacement Sunday. Saturday's draft will show whether Chicago can pry Thome away from his Florida State commitment.