Rockies waive Ronnie Belliard

DENVER, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- The Colorado Rockies have waived second baseman Ronnie Belliard for the purpose of granting him his unconditional release.

Belliard, 28, the first Rockies' non-roster invitee to start on Opening Day last season, batted .277 with eight home runs and 50 RBI in 116 games. Colorado tried unsuccessfully to deal the arbitration-eligible infielder to Cleveland.

Belliard, who also has played for Milwaukee, committed a team-high 15 errors last year. He owns a .266 career batting average with 38 home runs and 224 RBI.

"He did not play well for us at all, but he's still a young guy, and he still showed some athleticism," said General Manager Dan O'Dowd.

The Rockies also have signed infielder Mark Bellhorn to a one-year contract.

Bellhorn, 29, was acquired from the Chicago Cubs on June 19 for infielder Jose Hernandez. The switch-hitter batted .221 with two homers and 26 RBI in 99 games, a far cry from his numbers in 2002, when he slugged 27 homers and drove in 56 runs while hitting .258.