Also from the 2000 starting rotation

Rafael Soriano ('00) is now (almost) with the Tampa Bay Rays.

At the end of the third day of meetings, exchanging phone calls and texts, the Rays appear to have acquired the much-needed piece for their bullpen in closer Rafael Soriano.

According to SI.com, the Rays agreed to trade right-hander Jesse Chavez to the Braves for Soriano. The completion of the deal is pending on medical evaluations and is expected to be announced Thursday, the final day of Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings.

Soriano, 29, converted 27 out of 31 save opportunities for the Braves in 2009 while posting a 1-6 mark with a 2.97 ERA in 77 games. Perhaps most impressive from the 29-year-old right-hander's 2009 resume were his 102 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings. Soriano has an 8-18 record with a 2.92 ERA and 43 saves in 278 career appearances with Seattle and Atlanta.

Soriano accepted the Braves' arbitration offer on Monday, which foiled the idea of the team receiving 2010 First-Year Player Draft pick compensation for Soriano, who was classified as a Type A free agent. Soriano will make at least $6.5 million via the non-guaranteed one-year contract he secured when he accepted arbitration and erased the possibility for the Braves of gaining two Draft picks with his departure.

The above story was posted on the Rays' Website at 5:50am EST. This St. Petersburg Times story from last night has a few more details.

So Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman and Braves GM Frank Wren are on this elevator together …

When they walked off Wednesday evening, they went to the Scout of the Year dinner. But they kept talking and by the end of the night, the Rays were set to acquire RHP Rafael Soriano, putting a legitimate closer at the back end of their bullpen.

Soriano, who turns 30 on Dec. 19, saved 27 games in 31 chances last season with a 2.97 ERA, and did so powerfully, striking out 102 (and walking 27) in 752/3 innings.

The deal, which required considerable negotiation, could be completed today pending a standard medical review.

The Rays would pay all of Soriano's salary — which could exceed $7-million and push their payroll toward $70-million — and send reliever Jesse Chavez, acquired last month from Pittsburgh for Akinori Iwamura, to Atlanta.

Remind me. How did Soriano wind up with Atlanta?

He came up with and pitched parts of five seasons with the Mariners, then, after being traded in Dec. 2006 for Horacio Ramirez...

Oh. Right.