Jacob Gonzalez's White Sox reunion puts Pirates trade under harsh spotlight

Jacob Gonzalez will get a chance to face his former team on the South Side of Chicago this week. The more interesting reunion, though, might be between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the decision they made to acquire him.

Pittsburgh opens its first series against the Chicago White Sox since sending left-hander Jaden Woods and the No. 34 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft to Chicago for Gonzalez and reliever Brandon Eisert on July 11. At the time, general manager Ben Cherington specifically cited Konnor Griffin’s absence as part of the rationale, saying Gonzalez could complement Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo on the left side of the infield while Griffin was injured.

Two months later, Griffin is back. And suddenly, the Gonzalez trade looks a lot more complicated.

Griffin is going to play shortstop essentially every day. Brandon Lowe should receive the overwhelming majority of the work at second base. Nick Gonzales, meanwhile, has increasingly looked like a DH who can fill in at second on Lowe’s days off rather than Pittsburgh’s long-term answer at third. Gonzales has hit .306/.369/.393 this season, but his defensive track record at third has made that fit increasingly difficult to justify.

That effectively leaves Gonzalez and Jared Triolo fighting for third base. And that's where Pittsburgh has to hope Gonzalez starts separating himself.

Konnor Griffin's return puts Pirates' Jacob Gonzalez trade under microscope

Since joining the Pirates, Gonzalez has hit just .202/.229/.365 with four homers and 13 RBI in 109 plate appearances. That's especially disappointing considering he arrived after crushing Triple-A pitching for a .320 average, 19 homers and a 1.097 OPS in 53 games for Charlotte.

Triolo isn't exactly setting an intimidating offensive baseline himself. That's basically been his role for years: If another player can hit enough to justify taking his glove out of the lineup, the Pirates will do it. Ke'Bryan Hayes never provided enough offense and eventually was moved. Nick Gonzales can hit, but his defense has made third base an increasingly uncomfortable home. Now Gonzalez gets his turn.

The problem is that Pittsburgh didn't acquire Gonzalez for free. The Pirates surrendered the No. 34 pick, which Chicago used on infielder Landon Thome, in addition to Woods. Eisert, the other piece Pittsburgh received, has a 6.00 ERA this season and was optioned back to Triple-A when Griffin returned from the injured list.

It's far too early to declare that Pittsburgh "lost" the trade. Thome is an 18-year-old draft pick who is years away from providing an answer, and Gonzalez is still only 24. But the standard has changed.

Gonzalez initially filled an obvious temporary need created by Griffin's injury, but that need no longer exists. Now, for this deal to look worthwhile, Gonzalez probably needs to become something more meaningful: Pittsburgh's answer at third base.

Because if his bat settles around mediocre and the choice eventually comes down to Gonzalez's glove versus Triolo's, it's hard to imagine Gonzalez winning that competition.

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