The Los Angeles Dodgers’ nine-player trade with the Boston Red Sox in August 2012 is often remembered for the fact that it added over $250 million in salary in what was the largest trade in Dodgers franchise history.
The mega-trade netted Los Angeles Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Punto. Crawford had recently undergone Tommy John surgery and was set to miss the remainder of the 2012 season, and Beckett was going through a subpar year.
That left Gonzalez as the biggest coup, and the first baseman delivered in his first at-bat with the Dodgers by hitting a home run.
Widely viewed as a throw-in at the time, Punto wound up playing a pivotal role for the Dodgers that season and in 2013. Over parts of two seasons in Los Angeles, Puto filled in at second base, shortstop and third base.
Beyond that, Punto provided a veteran presence that still resonates with Clayton Kershaw and Scott Van Slyke, among other Dodgers still on the roster.
After last playing in 2014 with the Oakland Athletics, Punto announced his retirement in an interview with David Vassegh on AM 570’s Dodger Talk:
“I am so proud to be able to tell you (Vassegh), for the first time yes, I am officially retired. … I’m absolutely loving life.”
Punto played for the Philadelphia Phillies (2001-03), Minnesota Twins (2004-10), St. Louis Cardinals (2011), Red Sox (2012), Dodgers (2012-13) and Athletics (2014). He was a lifetime .245/.323/.323 batter with 263 RBIs and 104 stolen bases in 1,163 career games.
