Braves agree two-year deal with reliever Soriano

ATLANTA (Reuters) - The Atlanta Braves and reliever Rafael Soriano avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year, $9 million contract, the team said on Thursday.

Soriano, 28, was 3-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 71 appearances in 2007. The six-year veteran, who spent the first five years of his Major League career with the Seattle Mariners, has an overall record of 7-11 with a 2.93 ERA.

"We went into the arbitration discussions with the strategy that we'd love to keep Rafael for multiple years," Braves General Manager Frank Wren said on the team's Web site (www.atlantabraves.com).

"The last two years, Rafael has been one of the best relievers in baseball."

In addition to a $500,000 signing bonus, the right-hander will receive $2.4 million in 2008 and $6.1 million in 2009, the team said.

(Writing by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Peter Rutherford)