DALLAS -- At precisely one minute after midnight on Nov. 3, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria walked into the Carlyle Hotel in New York wearing an overcoat befitting the winter climate.

Hidden beneath the garment, though, was a surprise.

When Loria approached Jose Reyes, the free agent shortstop he had come to woo, he opened his coat to reveal not only the new Miami Marlins jersey, but one bearing Reyes’ name and number.

“He takes his coat off and he has my jersey — No. 7 — and I say, ‘Well, it’s gonna be interesting,’” Reyes recalled.

On Wednesday, Reyes was wearing his very own Marlins uniform.

The dreadlocked All-Star signed a six-year, $106 million contract that is heavily back-loaded. Reyes will receive $10 million in 2012 and 2013, $16 million in 2014 and $22 million in the each of the final three years. The deal also includes a team option seventh year with a $4 million buyout.

“It’s a perfect situation in Miami,” Reyes said. “We have the talent, a new stadium and the city of Miami.”

Reyes, 28, never received a formal offer from the New York Mets, with whom he had spent the first nine years of his big-league career. Instead, it was the Marlins — the Mets’ division rivals — who showered him with love, scheduling a meeting with him at the earliest possible moment — 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 3 — that free agents could start taking to other teams.

The idea was Loria’s. Marlins president David Samson described that scene:

“Jeffrey walked into the Hotel Carlyle with a long overcoat because it was 12 degrees out,” Samson said. “And under the overcoat was the Jose Reyes, new Marlins jersey that had not been released yet. A few people in the bar thought that this was some sort of strange, freaky show, because this man, the owner of the team, stood up and literally [opened the front of his coat].”

At Wednesday’s news conference introducing Reyes, Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest quickly sought to dispel rumors that Hanley Ramirez, who must now move to third base to make room for Reyes, was so unhappy that he would demand a trade.

Beinfest said Loria immediately phoned Ramirez after the team reached agreement with Reyes on Sunday. Behind the scenes, Ramirez has told friends that he is unhappy with the move. To reporters at a team event in Miami a few weeks ago, he said “I’m a shortstop.”

But the Marlins contend he’s not as unhappy as some reports are making him out to be.

Marlins president David Samson shot down an ESPN report Wednesday afternoon that Ramirez’s agent, Adam Katz, had asked the team to restructure the player’s contract and that, in response, the Marlins decided to explore trades for the player.

While Samson said Katz met with the Marlins during the meetings, he never once asked that Ramirez’s contract be restructured.

“There was no talk of that,” Samson said. “It never came up once — ever. It’s the most unbelievable thing. We’re not angry with Hanley. He’s not angry with us. The starting third baseman for the Marlins is Hanley Ramirez.”

Said Reyes: “I’m looking forward to playing with Hanley. Hanley is one of the best players in the game.”

Reyes has been plagued in recent years with leg injuries. But Samson said it is not a concern. He said Reyes checked out clean with doctors during his routine, pre-signing physical.

“There were no surprises,” Samson said. “We looked at every part of his body — every part — to make sure that everything was where it was supposed to be. The fact is we are very confident in his ability to manage his legs over the course of six years where he can still outperform this deal.”