Melvin Mora will talk about anything.
When the subject of a contract extension came up in recent weeks, however, the Baltimore Orioles? third baseman turned quiet.
The would-be free agent was happy to talk Friday, as the Orioles announced a deal that will keep the two-time All-Star with the team through the 2009 season.
After not reaching a deal before the season, Moratook a less active role in negotiations, hoping that a deal would be struck while he played baseball.
“We decided to stay here because we love this organization,” Mora said Friday at a press conference announcing his signing at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The deal was announced before the team was set to depart for its game with the Washington Nationals.
Terms of the deal were not fully disclosed, except the two sides agreed on a full no-trade clause in the deal.
“For him, the no-trade clause was the essence of the deal,” Mora?s agent, Lon Babby said.
Mora has made a home in the Baltimore area with his family of six children, including quintuplets. Mora said financial and geographic stability for his family was important.
“If I want to be an Oriole, I want it to be for forever, not for two months,” Mora said.
In signing Mora, the Orioles side-stepped a public relations nightmare. The team has finished below .500 in each of the last seasons and has seen declining attendance, while Mora has shined. Mora is batting .288 with 20 RBIs this season. In 2005, Mora hit a team-high 27 home runs.
Orioles? Executive Vice President Mike Flanagan called Mora the “best fielding and hitting third baseman in the game.”
Flanagan, a former Oriole himself, said the organization does not typically build in a full no-trade clause, but felt Mora?s offensive production made him an exception.
“It?s something we haven?t done,” Flanagan said.
Both Mora and Flanagan both agreed that a recent one-on-one meeting between the third baseman and Orioles? owner Peter Angelos served as a turning point.
Mora laughed when asked if the deal would get completed.
“After I got out, I was joking, ?Are you going to get the deal done or not??
The Mora File
Born: Aqua Negra, Venezuela
Residence: Fallston
Did You Know? When Melvin Mora was acquired from the New York Mets in 2000, he was used a shortstop and outfielder. In 2004, Mora made the full-time transition to third base, where he has been selected twice to the All-Star Game.
