According to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, the Colorado Rockies have avoided arbitration and come to terms on a 1-year deal with reliever Matt Belisle worth $2.35M. Belisle, 30, was one of the brighter spots of the 2010 Rockies season, finding himself emerging from the husk of a failed starter and incredibly hittable reliever to become one of the more potent 7th inning men in Major League Baseball. Belisle's 2.93 ERA was 2nd on the Rockies' staff to only Ubaldo Jimenez while leading the Majors (among relievers) in innings pitched, with 92, and a record of 7-5.

Past the standard box score stats, Belisle shined on the SABR side of the coin as well, as he was 5th in the majors in WAR, 15th in xFIP, 5th in K/BB. He saw his K/9 increase from 6.39 in 2009 to to 8.90 in 2010.

Belisle will likely share the 7th inning with newly acquired Matt Lindstrom, as Rafael Betancourt and Huston Street have the 8th and 9th innings locked down still.

Hat tip to holly96 for catching this one.