"At roughly 1 a.m., the Nationals got their man.

Making their clearest step yet to improve a bullpen and end their pained search for a closer, the Washington Nationals on Wednesday reached a deal with free agent reliever Matt Capps, according to agent Paul Kinzer.

Terms were not immediately disclosed, but the right-hander, who has saved 66 games in the last three seasons, will receive a one-year deal. In turn, he will likely inherit responsibility for the ninth-inning role -- a trouble spot in 2009.

Capps, non-tendered by the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this month, had attracted some dozen suitors, and this week narrowed his list to two, the Nationals and the Chicago Cubs. But Capps, Pittsburgh's closer since 2007, wanted a chance to close -- and Washington offered a clearer path toward that opportunity.

Though Capps was one of the National League's top relievers in 2007 (2.28 ERA) and 2008 (3.02 ERA), his performance last season prompted the Pirates to drop him from their roster rather than pay him some $3 million via arbitration in 2010. In 2009, Capps' ERA skyrocketed to 5.80. His walk totals and home runs allowed ballooned, too. Still, he saved 27 games in 32 opportunities.

If Capps, 26, can regain his earlier form, the Nationals will have found an answer, at last, in a role where many have failed before. In 2009, the Nationals had the worst save percentage in baseball. Particularly at the beginning of the season, a glut of late blown leads dealt the team adversity it could never overcome. The Nationals experimented with Joel Hanrahan, Kip Wells and Julian Tavarez for the closer's spot. Eventually, hard-throwing but erratic journeyman Mike MacDougal, a scrap-heap pick up from General Manager Mike Rizzo, settled things down a bit, saving 20 of 21 games down the stretch.

MacDougal's high walk and low strikeout totals, however, unnerved the Nationals. On the same day the Pirates non-tendered Capps, Washington let go of MacDougal. "