Sox, Matsuzaka reach preliminary agreement  —  BOSTON (AP) - The $51.11 million the Red Sox offered to pay for the rights to Daisuke Matsuzaka was enough to get the Japanese ace across the Pacific Ocean.  —  It took that much again, and a little more, to fly him the rest of the way to Boston.

Matsuzaka deal appears imminent  —  Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and agent Scott Boras, philosophically worlds apart in the Daisuke Matsuzaka negotiations, put aside their differences at the 11th hour and are near completing a multiyear deal for the coveted Japanese pitcher.

This decision goes to Sox, not Boras  —  If they were fleeced by Scott Boras in giving J.D. Drew a five-year, $70 million deal with no other teams bidding, the Red Sox have evened the score with Daisuke Matsuzaka.  —  The Sox did two impressive things during negotiations with Boras …

Dougie back in the fold: Mirabelli inks new deal  —  While the Red Sox [team stats] were flying across the country with Daisuke Matsuzaka in tow yesterday, the team filled another of its lesser needs by agreeing with incumbent backup catcher Doug Mirabelli on a one-year contract.

Done deal  —  Red Sox, Matsuzaka agree to six-year contract  —  Daisuke Matsuzaka has reached a deal with the Boston Red Sox for 6 years, $52 million, SI.com's Jon Heyman has learned.  The deal contains escalator clauses that could bring it up to $60 million.

Dice In Hand  —  Sox, Pitcher Reach Deal  —  BOSTON — As the plane flew east, the deal did not go south.  —  The Red Sox and Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka agreed to a six-year, $52 million deal Wednesday, bringing to conclusion a dramatic three days of negotiations with one day to spare.

D-Mat, Sox get it done: Sign 6-year, $52M deal  —  The Dice is finally rolling the Red Sox [team stats]' way.  —  In a move that will provide them with arguably the strongest starting rotation in baseball, the Sox landed the largest prize of the offseason following a whirlwind day that spanned …

Blood, Sweat and Type O: Japan's Weird Science  —  In the end, the Red Sox apparently decided to spend more than $100 million to get the Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka in a Boston uniform for the next six seasons, a daring financial outlay for an athlete who has never thrown a pitch …

Nats to trade Vidro to Mariners  —  Snelling, Fruto to join Washington, pending physicals  —  The Nationals are expected to trade second baseman Jose Vidro to the Mariners for outfielder Chris Snelling and pitcher Emiliano Fruto, according to Vidro and a high-ranking baseball official.