Hardball Times columnist Aaron Gleeman stopped by to answer a few questions on Nick Punto, now starting at second for the Minnesota Twins.
Beerleaguer: What is your take on Ron Gardenhire's decision to start Nick Punto?
Aaron Gleeman: I have long made complaining about Luis Rivas a staple of my blog, so I am thrilled that he is no longer the Twins' second baseman. That has more to do with Rivas than his replacement though, because I don't see Nick Punto as a legit everyday player for anything more than the short term. For now though, seeing Punto in the lineup every day and seeing Rivas on the bench every day is a welcomed sight. Plus, Punto is a tough guy not to root for.
Beerleaguer: What was your reaction in 2004 when the Twins traded Eric Milton for Carlos Silva and Punto? What are your thoughts on it now?
Aaron Gleeman: I liked the trade a lot back then, much more so than most of the Twins fans I talked to at the time. Here's a quote from back in December of 2003:
"I suspect a lot of Twins fans will be saying stuff like "that's all we got for Milton?!" over the next few days. The fact is that simply not having Milton will give the Twins $9 million to play with this off-season and that in itself has a lot of value. I suspect Terry Ryan would have been willing to unload Milton's contract for nothing, if that's what the market for him was down to. Getting a utility infielder, a decent middle-reliever and a PTBNL for him is just an added bonus."
Obviously Silva has proven to be more than just "a decent middle reliever," so the trade looks even better than it did back then. It was a god deal then and, considering what has happened to Milton, Punto, and Silva since, it's a great deal now.
Read Aaron Gleeman’s blog at www.aarongleeman.com.
Comments