(Reuters) - The Philadelphia Phillies avoided arbitration with Cole Hamels by agreeing to a one-year, $15 million contract with the two-time All-Star pitcher, the Major League Baseball team said on Tuesday.

The left-hander posted a 14-9 record with Philadelphia last season, which marked the fifth consecutive campaign he has won at least 10 games.

Hamels, 28, had a 2.79 earned run average in 31 starts during the 2011 regular season and also won Game Three of the National League Division Series against the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

(Reporting By Gene Cherry in Salvo North Carolina; Editing by Frank Pingue)