Draft intrigue: Sox trade away Gonzalez to land extra pick from Pirates

On the eve of the MLB Draft, the White Sox made a surprising move.

They traded infielder Jacob Gonzalez and reliever Brandon Eisert to Pittsburgh for the No. 34 draft pick and left-handed pitcher Jaden Woods, currently in Triple-A.

Gonzalez was just sent down to Charlotte on Friday when the Sox activated Munetaka Murakami from the injured list. Gonzalez started for the Knights, doubled in his first at-bat, then was pulled from the game.

While filling in at first base for Murakami, Gonzalez hit .244 with 2 home runs in 30 games. He was the Sox' first-round draft pick, No. 15 overall, in 2023 out of Mississippi.

Gonzalez is expendable; that part is not a surprise. The White Sox seem pretty set on the infield right now with Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth, with several decent prospects still in the minors.

But a former first-round pick plus an established reliever feels like a high price for the No. 34 draft pick. Eisert has a 5.93 ERA this season, but he's been in the majors for three years.

Do the White Sox have something up their sleeve for the draft? Would they pass on the expected top-two of UCLA's Roch Cholowsky and Fort Worth high school shortstop Grady Emerson, thinking they'll be able to make a splash pick at 34?

It's conceivable the White Sox could pick someone else with the No. 1 overall pick, sign that player for less money than the $11.35 million slotted for that pick, and use the savings to convince a high school star to skip college. Scouting director Mike Shirley did say this week there's a high school pitcher he loves.

One interesting move often leads to another. The MLB Draft begins shortly after noon on Saturday.