The Last Rumor of 2006?

After a very forgettable 2006 season the Cubs have been in the headlines since October. The next few weeks leading up to the start of Spring Training in mid-February is when the Cubs will add and subtract pieces they feel will make a difference in 2007. Not much has surfaced of late out of the offices at 1060 West Addison, other than the weekly blurb about how close they are to signing Cliff Floyd. In the aftermath of the Barry Zito signing, there is a new/old name in the rumor mill....David Newhan.

Newhan's name first surfaced in a trade rumor with Baltimore back at the beginning of the off-season but on Friday it gained a little more credibility. According to a report in the Baltimore Sun by Roch Kubatko, found on Rotowire.com, the Cubs and the Mets have made the strongest offers to Newhan. The Orioles did not tender him a contract at the deadline so he is free to sign with any team he so desires. According to the report, Newhan might have to accept a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training to be able to compete for a spot on a 25-man roster for Opening Day.

Newhan feels he can help a National League team and can play both infield and outfield. The report on Rotowire speculated that the Cubs could send Ronny Cedeno down to Iowa to make room for Newhan on the roster. Rotowire does not think Newhan would be a good fit for the New York Mets.

After a career year in 2004 when he hit .311/.361/.453 in 95 games, 373 at bats, 8 home runs and 54 RBI's his numbers have dropped in the last 2 seasons and he is recovering from a broken leg he suffered in 2006. He was placed on the 15-day DL on April 18th with a fractured right fibula and did not play again until August 29th when he was activated from the 60-day DL. Newhan played in 39 games in 2006 and has not reached the 100-game plateau in his Major League career. Newhan bats left-handed, throws right-handed, turned 33 last September and has played every position in the field with the exception of shortstop in his 6-year Major League career.

Stats from the Baseball Cube
Stats from Rotoworld

Well, that's the latest and Happy New Year from everyone here at Chicago Cubs Online.

Bob Johnson

I hope everyone's right about Murton??!!! I'm pulling hard for him. Actually he reminds me of Sandberg early in his career, great contact hitter/ solid on the fundamentals. And then when Jim Frey got him turning on the ball, his power just exploded. I hope that happens with Murton, becoming a 30+ guy I mean.

Larry

Jim,

I couldn't agree with you more. Murton is a stud. It is only a matter of time (within the next couple of seasons depending on the amount of playing time he gets) before he begins to hit 30+ hrs a season. With his OBP, I would love to see him hitting in the 2 slot this season, but I think he will eventually be a dominant 3-4-5 hitter for the Cubs. He has good power potential, he hits for average, isn't afraid to take a walk, and has shown that he came come through in the clutch. He has the makings of a very good offensive player.

Larry

Jim,

I couldn't agree with you more. I think that Murton will develop into a big power guy. I wouldn't be surprised if he hits 30 a year within the next couple of seasons. If he can do that and maintain the fact that he can also hit for average, he will be a mainstay in the Cubs line-up for a long time.

Jim

Ronny had an awful year but I am not ready to give up on him yet. He showed signs of excellence in the field before his woes at the plate transfered over to the field. He could be a good player just needs some time. We are talking about a guy who is 23 and was rushed to the bigs beccause we failed to get Furcal. Oh and Murton is THE MAN. He reminds me of a mix of Bagwell and Grace and he does have enough power for the outfield. 595 atbats with 20 hrs. JJ 533 atbats 27 hrs. Not bad for his first full year.

agustin rexach

_Bob Johnson- Hi there, right on with your Jones comments, but far off with Murton. The red hair dude has proven to be as good as they come in every baseball level. That's why he was a first round pick and that's why Epstein tried to get him back and while having an off july still managed to be the best AVG. of the team. Sorry- he is everything but unproven.

Bob Johnson

Pleeeeease, not another year of Cedeno!!!!! He quite possibly may be the dumbest ball player in all of major league baseball.....Had the Cubs originally traded Jones for this Newhan, I would have justed flipped. Its a shame Jones became everyones favorite whipping boy last season, because he had a pretty decent 2006. A slow start in April and those 2 bonehead base running blunders really turned Cubs Nation against him. He played centerfield early on with the Twins, could he play Center for the Cubs????? Would he be any worse than Pierre???? I think not. I still think we need JJ's offense. Remember we're still talking about a lineup that may contain Izturis, Derosa and Murton. Murton, I love, but still very unproven.

jim

I agree Larry. I would rather have cedeno on the roster than this guy. Not only are his #'s not impressive but he has never played more than a 100 games in a season. This would be a bad move. Let the Cubs work on Marquis first before they try and fix someone else.

Larry

I have looked at Newhan's stats, they aren't terribly impressive. He is a career .252 hitter. In '06, he hit .252 with an on-base percentage under .300. Is he truly the kind of talent we want playing for the Cubs? I realize that he is versitle and is a left-handed hitter, but come on, Neifi's numbers were just as effective as Newhans. I hope we don't make this move. I will be the first to admit, that I don't know much about Newhan as a player, but just from looking at his stats, I find it hard to believe that he is going to make us a better ballclub.