Originally Posted by MLB.com

ATLANTA -- By coming to terms on a one-year deal with Oscar Villarreal on Sunday, the Braves ensured they'd escape this offseason without having to experience an arbitration hearing.

Villarreal, who had been the team's final unsigned arbitration-eligible player, will make $925,000 with his new contract. When the two parties exchanged arbitration figures in January, the right-handed reliever was seeking $1.3 million and the Braves were offering $860,000.

The Braves once again are looking for Villarreal's versatility to prove beneficial out of the bullpen. Although he made just four starts, the 92 innings he completed last year ranked as the team's fourth-highest total.

Villarreal, who was acquired from the Diamondbacks in December 2005, went 9-1 with a 3.68 ERA in 58 appearances last year. In the 16 relief appearances he made after the All-Star break, he logged 30 innings, posted a 2.10 ERA and limited opponents to a .232 batting average.

Although he notched eight of his wins before the All-Star break, Villarreal was much more reliable down the stretch. In the 44 1/3 innings he worked before the break, he recorded 22 strikeouts and issued 18 walks. In his final 48 innings of the season, he recorded 33 strikeouts and issued just nine walks.

While Villarreal is capable of being a starter, Braves manager Bobby Cox has said he'd like to keep the 25-year-old right-hander in the bullpen to serve both as a long reliever and setup man.