What About Nick Punto?

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

As the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox put the finishing touches on a mega-huge post-deadline trade that will send Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford to the Dodgers in exchange for a huge package of prospects and the opportunity to get out from underneath some burdensome contracts, we are all overlooking one very important question…

…what about Nick Punto?

Josh Beckett had the official opportunity to let us all know what he thinks of the trade, as he had to waive his no-trade clause for the deal to go through. Similarly, Carl Crawford had that chance because the Los Angeles Dodgers were one of five teams on his no-trade list. If they did not like this trade, they could have squashed it. And we already know how happy Adrian Gonzalez must be due to his open disdain for current Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine.

Has anybody asked Nick Punto how he feels about this mega deal? Is he happy? Are his feelings hurt? Has anybody checked with the man who was once part of a group of hitters known as “the piranhas?” What if he had wanted to put a stop to this madness?

You know, light hitting utility players have feelings too, you guys…

Looking at this from a Rockies perspective, Punto is exactly the kind of player who tends to rip it up against them. It is just as likely that he will have a chance to kill them late in the game as it is a player like Gonzalez or Crawford. I can hear it now, “…and Punto bombs his 16th career home run to put the Dodgers ahead and break the hearts of the Coors Field faithful…”

Actually, when it comes to him and Crawford, it is far, far, far more likely that Punto will have that chance. You know, because of Crawford’s woefully awful contract and upcoming Tommy John surgery. Who wouldn’t want to trade for him?

Let’s all agree to not cut our analysis of this trade short, because Nick Punto matters here. What if he helps Adrian Gonzalez in the tall task of justifying the additions of Beckett and Crawford in this trade? What if he enters a key game late as a defensive replacement and leads the men in blue to victory? He has played on multiple playoff teams, after all.

Josh Beckett will make his Dodgers debut Monday night against the Rockies. That means we will get to see three of the newest Dodgers next week. Beckett, Gonzalez, and the one, the only, Nick Punto.