The Nationals have avoided arbitration with Drew Storen by reaching agreement on a one-year, $2.5MM contract, according to his representatives at CAA Sports (on Twitter). The contract also includes $1MM in performance bonuses.
Storen, 25, was eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter thanks to his Super Two status. The former tenth-overall pick of the 2009 draft posted a 2.37 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 37 appearances last season. The newly-acquired Rafael Soriano will close for the Nats in 2013 but GM Mike Rizzo made it known today that he is still confident in Storen's abilities.
Swartz projected that Storen would earn $1.7MM through the arbitration process. The reliever will be eligible for free agency after the 2016 season.
The Nationals have six remaining unsigned arbitration eligible players: Roger Bernadina, Tyler Clippard, Ian Desmond, Ross Detwiler, Craig Stammen, and Jordan Zimmermann. They're currently regarded as a file and trial team by case, and past history shows the team is certainly willing to go to a hearing.
