Rafael Soriano has until tonight to opt out of his contract. We’ve known for a while that he’s likely to do so, but Jon Heyman says that, yes, it will happen today.

It’s a no-brainer for him, even if he didn’t want to test the free agent market. He’s slated to make $14 million in 2013. If he opts out he gets $1.5 million. If the Yankees make him a qualifying offer — which they would be silly not to given what they’d pay him otherwise and because doing so gets them a draft pick if he leaves — it’s another $13.3 million. $13.3 million + 1.5 million = more than $14 million (Maths, I haz them).

That said, Soriano and his man Scott Boras are expected to shop his services for a multi-year deal. Closers, as a rule, are bad long term bets, although Soriano seems like a better bet than a lot of them. And given how here-today-gone-tomorrow that gig can be, even if Soriano gets a modest multi-year deal that pays him less in 2013 than he’d stand to get if he didn’t opt-out — something silly-low like two-years, $20 million — it’s more guaranteed money than he can count on otherwise.

Just ask Ryan Madson and Jose Valverde about what it’s like to plan for next year when you’re a closer.