Within a few hours after trading third baseman Mark Reynolds to the Baltimore Orioles, the Arizona Diamondbacks have signed free agent and former Rockies utility man Melvin Mora to a one-year, $2.4 million deal.
Mora was signed by Colorado during the offseason prior to the 2010 season as a utility man. Though Mora played LF, 1B, and 2B, he spent most of his time at 3B when Ian Stewart went down with injury. Making the most of his opportunities, the veteran and former Baltimore All-Star proved he still had something in the tank at 38 years of age, hitting seven home runs and posting a .779 OPS. He proved to be a league average bat and a good backup corner infielder.
Mora was able to use his bounceback 2010 season to leverage a deal with another NL West team. Arizona provides a very favorable hitting environment for Mora and, with the Reynolds trade, opportunity for plenty of playing time.