"We said that in the winter time and talked about it when we got down here," he said. "We expressed we needed a shortstop. Maysonet and Smith play short and the history of Newhan is he's never been a shortstop, never really played shortstop.”
"The guy did a great job for us last year. He's a good pinch-hitter and great teammate, but he didn't fit this spring.”
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6348531.htmlWas Newhan in on this plan when he signed the contract? He's 35 and looking for a job, why would he sign the contract if he knew they only wanted him at 2nd?
Newhan originally thought he would get a look at shortstop, until he read an article on MLB.com that quoted Cooper saying Newhan was seventh in the pecking order of potential shortstops. Cooper also indicated in that article that Newhan likely would not see playing time at short this spring.
"That's kind of the way they communicated that," Newhan said.
He seems surprised. Why. Is Blum now the other option at 2nd? If Cooper is planning to rest Matsui, it's not an irrelevant consideration. Does Maysonet play 2nd? Who's the backup at 3rd? Cooper was talking up Johnson, saying he's going to give him every opportunity and if he makes the team it'll be with the intention he'll play every day. Where does that leave Blum and does this make a trade for a 3b seem more realistic?
