Major League Baseball

Sources: Nats, Soriano agree to deal

Published Jan. 15, 2013 12:00 a.m. ET

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The list of big-name, unsigned Scott Boras clients is down to two.

Free agent closer Rafael Soriano agreed to a two-year, $28 million contract with the Washington Nationals Tuesday, major-league sources confirmed to FOXSports.com. Now Boras can focus his attention on finding jobs for starter Kyle Lohse and outfielder Michael Bourn.

Soriano is now the highest-paid reliever in baseball at $14 million per year, according to salary data at Cot’s Baseball Contracts. In fact, this deal represents the second-highest annual salary for a relief pitcher in baseball history, behind Mariano Rivera’s $15 million per year from 2010 through 2012.

Soriano will take over as the Nationals’ closer after Drew Storen’s memorable blown save against St. Louis in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Soriano’s deal includes a $14 million vesting option for 2015, which will trigger if he appears in 120 games over the first two years of the deal.

By signing Soriano, the Nationals will surrender what would have been the final first-round pick in the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The New York Yankees — Soriano’s former team — will obtain a compensatory pick between the first and second rounds; it will be their second such pick, after Nick Swisher left to sign with Cleveland earlier this offseason.

The Yankees never engaged Boras in contract talks on Soriano after the pitcher turned down their qualifying offer in early November, according to one source.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports was first to report the agreement.

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