Red Sox bid $51.1 million to get rights

The Boston Red Sox emerged as winners of the bidding for Daisuke Matsuzaka with a $51.1-million offer Tuesday and have 30 days to sign the Japanese pitcher to a contract.

The Seibu Lions of Japan’s Pacific League announced they had accepted the high bid for their prized pitcher.

Even before the announcement, general managers meeting in Naples, Fla., had assumed Boston would be the highest bidder in the blind process.

“We’ll congratulate the winner and move on,” New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday afternoon.

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The Oakland Athletics unveiled grand plans to move south to Fremont and build a long-awaited, state-of-the-art stadium they hope will soon transform the small-market club into a big spender.

The A’s, in partnership with Cisco Systems, Inc., agreed to purchase 143 acres of land from Cisco in suburban Fremont, about 30 miles south of the current stadium, with intentions of breaking ground in the coming years on a new ballpark -- to be called Cisco Field -- that could open in time for the 2011 season.

“We’re not moving to Timbuktu, we’re going down the road in our mind,” A’s owner Lew Wolff said. “We’re doing the best we can.”

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Manny Acta, 37, was hired by the Washington Nationals, making him the youngest manager in the major leagues.... General Manager Billy Beane plans to announce Oakland’s new manager by week’s end, with the three leading candidates being A’s bench coach Bob Geren, Colorado Rockies bench coach and former Oakland utilityman Jamie Quirk, and ESPN baseball analyst and former Texas Rangers pitching coach Orel Hershiser.... The Houston Astros hired Dave Wallace as their pitching coach, replacing the fired Jim Hickey.

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Right-hander Orlando Hernandez stayed with the New York Mets, agreeing to $12-million, two-year contract. “El Duque,” acquired by the Mets from Arizona in May, went 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts for New York.... Mark DeRosa became the first major league free agent to switch teams this off-season, agreeing to a $13-million, three-year contract with the Chicago Cubs. DeRosa, who batted .296 with 13 homers and 74 RBIs with Texas last season, is expected to be the Cubs’ everyday second baseman in 2007.

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Baseball players and owners plan to stage the second edition of the World Baseball Classic in 2009.

“Timing and format still have to be discussed, but we’re going to go ahead with it,” Bob DuPuy, baseball’s chief operating officer, said Tuesday at the general managers’ meetings.