The Pirates pulled a trade on the eve of the MLB Draft to acquire Jacob Gonzalez and left-handed reliever Brandon Eisert in exchange for their Competitive Balance A round pick (No. 34 overall) and lefty pitching prospect Jaden Woods.
The White Sox drafted Gonzalez with the 15th pick of the first round in 2023 out of Ole Miss, and the 24-year-old was having a breakout season at Triple-A Charlotte.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound left-handed hitter batted .320/.422/.675 with 12 doubles, 19 home runs, 63 RBIs and 43 runs scored in 53 games in the minors this year, more than he has in any profession season. He also played all four infield positions, starting 35 games at shortstop, six as designated hitter, five each at first base and second base and two at third base in the minors.
Gonzalez made his major-league debut May 31 and batted .244 with a .683 OPS, four doubles, two homers and 17 RBIs in 30 games for the White Sox. He played primarily first base in the majors, starting 24 games but is expected to play shortstop and first base for the Pirates.
As a former first-round pick by the White Sox, were you stunned to get traded?
I don’t know. It’s crazy. I didn’t really think much of it. I didn’t think I’d get traded. I thought maybe towards the end, closer to the trade deadline. If the White Sox started winning some games, I thought they could move me to get someone. It was a shock. I’m happy for the opportunity.
When you see the White Sox had the No. 1 overall pick and were expected to take a shortstop (Roch Cholowsky), was that unsettling?
No, because they already have their shortstop, Colson Montgomery, so it’s not going to matter anyways. You’ve got to be able to play other positions, and I can play all four infield spots. I just needed to swing my way into the lineup and help the team any way I could.
What was the whirlwind weekend like for you?
Yeah, it’s been crazy. I got optioned on Thursday from Chicago. I asked if I could go back quickly and start playing so I could play during the weekend so I could take the All-Star break and have not played in a while. I got in the game and, in the top of the third, while I was on defense, I got taken out. So, I got two good innings in there, then I sat around the locker room until the end of the game. That’s when I found out. It was a long day. I fell asleep, got up and came here.
What was your reaction when you found out you were traded?
Since I was sitting in the locker room in Charlotte for three hours, awaiting to see what had happened, I was scrolling on Twitter, refreshing and seeing what people thought. What happened was someone guessed it pretty early on. When they told me, I was like, “Oh, someone knew that.” I’m excited for this opportunity and happy to be here. Hopefully, we win a lot of games.
What time did you arrive to PNC Park?
I don’t know what time, but I think it was the fifth inning of the first game (of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers). I got dressed and ate, got the tour and when I was ready to go, we were pretty much starting the second game.
You played mostly first base for the White Sox but shortstop in the minors. What do you consider yourself?
I am a shortstop. I play everywhere. The last day of spring (training) in Chicago, they were like, “You’re going to start playing some first.” I was like, “All right.” I played about six games before getting called up because (All-Star first baseman Munetaka) Murakami got hurt. I can play all four infield spots. I feel comfortable everywhere.
What started to click for you in Triple-A?
A lot of minor adjustments but the real light bulb moment was in ’25. I started striding closed. It really lined up my body to where I hadn’t been the last couple years. Once I did that, I didn’t have to search during the offseason. I just kept up with that, just maintenance work. Once I got with the guys in Chicago, I had a conversation and we mixed ideas and got to where we are now.
What was the biggest change with the closed step?
I talked hitting with my dad a lot, and he told me to start doing it two years ago. I was like, “I can’t do that. That’s kind of scary, to step towards the plate? The ball’s coming right there.” He actually would show me videos of Alek Thomas on the Diamondbacks. I was like, “I don’t know if I can do that.” I was trying to find something that could help me out, and I tried it one game. It was like night and day, the change in the way my body moved toward the pitcher. Before, my body was moving out of the way and to first base. Once I did that, it wasn’t perfect right away — I had to work on it in the offseason — but I knew we were on the right track.
What was it like to see the closed step click?
It was last year, in the last week of the season. Anything I tried in-game felt good. It just all depended on how my body moved. As soon as I did that one, I didn’t even have time — as soon as I opened my phone, my dad said, “That’s it.” I didn’t even know. When I watched the video, I saw that I hadn’t done it in a while. It was nice, especially because it made the offseason easier going in with something I know was going to work.
How did it unlock the power for you?
I wouldn’t say it unlocked the power. It put me in a better position to make good contact. I hit 40 (homers) in college. But the year before, they showed us our contact point. I started using a torpedo because I missed so far inside the barrel, just because I was coming in. Once I changed, I’m hitting it on the barrel again.
How do the dimensions of PNC Park fit your game?
I don’t know. Is it close in right? I saw some hard-hit balls in Chicago that weren’t homers. I hope they would go out here for me. That would be fun. I don’t take the stadium into consideration when I’m hitting. I just try to make hard contact, and if the home runs come, they come.
How did you start playing multiple positions?
When I first got to Double-A in ’24, the shortstop there was Brooks Baldwin, who was raking at the time. So him and I split. That was the first time I didn’t play shortstop full time. I only played with him for about a month, then he left and I was just shortstop. They saw enough that they were like, “OK, he can play shortstop. Let’s get our younger guy at short.” I started playing second base mostly last year. This year it was like, “You’re going to play every position.”
You said you have a love affair with gloves and have eight with you. Do you have a different glove for each position?
No, I just have one for each. I won’t play catch with a broken-in glove. That’s a lie. With my first baseman’s glove, I had to play catch with it so I could get used to squeezing it. I’m used to all of my gloves staying open and closing them. The first baseman glove stays closed, so I have to open it myself then close it. That’s an adjustment I had to get used to. With any infield glove, if I’m playing catch it’s a glove that’s not broken in yet. They’re all about the same size, just different colors, models. I like 11 1/2, but I try different webs and different models just to see which ones I can get game-ready.
The Pirates are entering the second half with momentum. What’s it like to have the opportunity to add value to the team?
It’s awesome. I came here, and it’s an exciting opportunity. This team, they want to win. Sorry. “We” want to win. There’s no (telling) what this team can do.
