Good for whoever in the Yankees front office decided to let Rafael Soriano walk, because the Nationals just overpaid for the Stoic Shirt Untucker. And obviously, good for Boras and Soriano for inking a very favorable deal.

Washington Post:

The Nationals agreed to terms with closer Rafael Soriano, a person familiar with the situation said, a stunning, blockbuster addition to the back end of their bullpen.

The sides reached a two-year, $28 million contract with a $14 million option for 2015 that will vest if Soriano finished 120 games combined over the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Owner Ted Lerner, one person familiar with the negotiations said, was heavily involved in bringing Soriano to Washington.

Ah, the joys of having non-baseball people push through baseball deals…at least we’re not the only ones.

Even before the money, it’s a wacky deal when you consider what Washington already has in their bullpen, such as Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen. And doesn’t Soriano want to close?

Now back to the money…$14 mil per year to most relievers is crazy, nevermind owing that annually for two, possibly three years.

For the SABR heads, Soriano was worth 1.2 wins over 67 productive innings for the Yankees last season. How many wins will he need to justify $14 mil per?? Significantly more than he’ll generate, that’s for sure.