Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BASEBALL Nationals, Soriano agree

Reliever Rafael Soriano and the Washington Nationals reached agreement pending a physical on a $28 million, two-year contract that includes $14 million in deferred money, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet official, the person said Soriano’s contract contains a $14 million option for 2015 that would become guaranteed if he reaches 120 games finished over 2013 and 2014 combined. A one-time All-Star, Soriano had 42 saves and a 2.26 ERA for the AL East champion New York Yankees last year while filling in for injured closer Mariano Rivera, who plans to return from a knee injury in 2013. Soriano decided in October to decline a $14 million option for 2013, taking a $1.5 million buyout from the Yankees and entering free agency instead. Washington will lose its first-round draft pick in this year’s amateur draft, while the Yankees will gain an extra pick after the first round as compensation for losing Soriano. In 11 major league seasons, Soriano is 15-24 with 132 saves and a 2.78 ERA with four teams, including the Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves.

San Francisco catcher Buster Posey, Atlanta outfielder Jason Heyward and Boston outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury are among 133 players who have filed for salary arbitration. Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza and Giants outfielder Hunter Pence also are among those who filed Tuesday. Six extra players filed because of a change to baseball’s labor contract: Washington reliever Drew Storen, San Diego shortstop Everth Cabrera, Toronto catcher Josh Thole, Tampa Bay outfielder Sam Fuld, Colorado outfielder Tyler Colvin and Arizona third baseman Chris Johnson. Under the latest labor deal, the top 22 percent of players by service time with at least two years but less than three are eligible for arbitration. From 1991 through last year, the top 17 percent in the 2-to-3-year group could file. Players and teams are scheduled to swap proposed salaries Friday, with hearings before three-arbitrator panels next month in Phoenix.

BASKETBALL Love has hand surgery

Kevin Love is expected to return sometime in March after undergoing surgery on his broken right hand. The Minnesota Timberwolves announced Tuesday that the operation to repair Love’s third and fourth metacarpal bones was successful. The procedure was done by Dr. Michelle Carson at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Love was hurt during the Jan. 3 game at Denver, after suffering the same injury in a workout at his home Oct. 17. The two-time All-Star power forward has played in only 18 of Minnesota’s 35 games this season.

GOLF McGinley chosen

Paul McGinley was chosen as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain for 2014, ending a chaotic campaign marked by a late challenge from former captain Colin Montgomerie. McGinley, a 46-year-old Irishman, replaces Jose Maria Olazabal, whose team rallied to victory over the United States in October at Medinah, outside Chicago. Europe will defend the trophy at Gleneagles, Scotland. The decision ended a messy few days in which Darren Clarke pulled out of the consideration for the position, preferring to concentrate on his own game. His decision prompted Montgomerie to launch his late bid. That, in turn, brought a stream of support for McGinley on Monday. Thomas Bjorn, chairman of the players’ committee, said all the candidates were discussed thoroughly and the committee fully backed McGinley.

CYCLING Interview not enough

Lance Armstrong must make a full confession under oath - not just an admission in a television interview with Oprah Winfrey - if he wants authorities to consider lifting his lifetime ban from sports, David Howman, the director of the World Anti-Doping Agency, said Tuesday. Howman told The Associated Press that Armstrong’s interview with Winfrey is “hardly the same as giving evidence to a relevant authority” that deals with doping rules and sanctions. Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life from Olympic sports last year following a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report that portrayed him as a longtime performance-enhancing drug user. After years of denials, he confessed to doping during an interview with Winfrey taped Monday. Armstrong has been in conversations with USADA about a possible confession to authorities and a path to restoring his eligibility. Howman said a reduced ban is possible depending on the level of cooperation.

HOCKEY Booth out 4-6 weeks

The Vancouver Canucks have another hole to fill on their second line. David Booth, who has yet to take part in training camp, will be out four to six weeks with a groin strain. Canucks Coach Alain Vigneault revealed the extent of the injury Tuesday, a day after Booth underwent a magnetic resonance imaging. His absence leaves two holes on Vancouver’s second line because center Ryan Kesler is recuperating from offseason shoulder and wrist surgery and remains out indefinitely. The 28-year-old Booth had 16 goals and 13 assists in 56 games with Vancouver in 2011-2012 after coming over in an earlyseason trade from Florida. He also had one assist with the Panthers.

TENNIS Radwanska advances in Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia - Agnieszka Radwanska extended the best winning streak of the year to 11 matches as she rolled into the third round of the Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu.

The No. 4-ranked Radwanska won leadup tournaments this month at Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney and is unbeaten this year.

“I can play even better,” said Radwanska, who lost the Wimbledon final to Serena Williams last year. “I didn’t really expect I could win that many matches in a row, and hopefully I can keep going.”

Her last two trips to the Australian Open have ended in quarterfinal losses to the eventual champion - Kim Clijsters in 2011 and Victoria Azarenka last year.

With top-ranked Azarenka and Williams on the other half of the draw, Radwanska’s main obstacles to reaching the final are 2011 French Open champion Li Na, who beat Olga Goortsova of Belarus 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round, and potential semifinal rivals Maria Sharapova or No. 5 Angelique Kerber of Germany.

Kerber advanced with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Lucie Hradecka.

Williams hurt her ankle in heropening match, causing speculation that her bid for a third consecutive major title Open could be in jeorpardy. She has only lost one match since her firstround exit at the French Open last year.

Williams said she expects to at least start her second-round match against Spain’s Garbine Muguruza, who beat Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 4-6, 6-1, 14-12.

“Oh, I’ll be out there,” Williams said. “I mean, unless something fatal happens to me, there’s no way I’m not going to be competing. I’m alive. My heart’s beating. I’ll be fine.”

In early women’s secondround matches, No. 18 Julia Gorges beat Romina Oprandi 6-3, 6-2; Russian qualifier Valeria Savinykh upset No. 15 Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (6), 6-4, and Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium ousted No. 23 Klara Zakopalova 6-1, 6-0.

On the men’s side, 10th-seeded Nicolas Almagro was first through to the third round with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 victory over fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver; No. 16-ranked Kei Nishikori of Japan beat Carlos Berlocq 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-1, and No. 20 Sam Querrey advanced when fellow American Brian Baker retired in the second set with what appeared to be a right knee injury.