Peter Schmuck comes down on the side of Melvin Mora in his contract negotiations with the Baltimore Orioles:

Technically, Mora is signed for the 2006 season, but everybody knows the chances of a pending free agent’s remaining with the same team after playing out the final year of his contract are pretty slim. Just ask new Toronto Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan – or New York Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina if you want to pull out the most glaring example in Orioles history.
That’s why the Orioles need to end this staredown, even if it means they have to blink first.
Mora wants to stay in Baltimore, and he has done everything in his power – both on and off the field – to make the case that he is the kind of throwback player and organizational asset the Orioles cannot afford to lose.

I disagree. Mora is indeed an asset to the community, but he just turned 34 years old. In his seven year major league career, he’s had two outstanding seasons, and last year he fell back to just good. The fact is the $10 million a year Mora is looking to earn is better spent elsewhere. The Orioles, instead of trying to find a place where both are happy, should tell Melvin to go try the free agent market and spend the year finding someone young to replace the third baseman.
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