Boston, MA (Sports Network) – The Boston Red Sox reportedly have their man.

Bobby Valentine will become the new manager of Red Sox, according to several reports Tuesday, landing his third major league managerial job and first in almost a decade.

Valentine’s hiring will be the first big move made by new Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington, who took over when Theo Epstein left to be president of the Cubs.

WCVB in Boston, citing sources, reported that the Red Sox and Valentine have reached an agreement that will be finalized when Valentine returns from a charity event in Japan.

The Boston Globe also reported the deal was imminent but not complete, while ESPN said Valentine was offered and accepted the job Tuesday. ESPN said he was flying back home at midnight (et) on Wednesday.

Valentine will replace Terry Francona, who left after eight seasons, two World Series titles and a September collapse that started in motion the upheaval in team leadership.

It will be Valentine’s first MLB job since he was fired in 2002 after six-plus seasons managing the New York Mets. Valentine also managed the Texas Rangers for parts of eight seasons and owns a 1,117-1,072 regular season record in the majors.

He managed in Japan and was a TV analyst since being fired by the Mets.

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NEW YORK — Pitcher-turned-outfielder Adam Loewen has agreed to a minor-league contract with the New York Mets.

The 27-year-old Loewen, who will attend major-league spring training under Tuesday’s deal, was 6 for 32 (.188) for Toronto last season with one home run and four RBI. He hit .306 at Triple-A Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League with 46 doubles, 17 homers and 85 RBI.

Loewen was 8-8 with a 5.38 ERA in 29 starts and six relief appearances for the Baltimore Orioles from 2006-09.

NEW YORK — Pitcher-turned-outfielder Adam Loewen has agreed to a minor league contract with the New York Mets.

The 27-year-old Loewen, who will attend major league spring training under Tuesday’s deal, was 6 for 32 (.188) for Toronto last season with one home run and four RBIs. He hit .306 at Triple-A Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League with 46 doubles, 17 homers and 85 RBIs.

Loewen was 8-8 with a 5.38 ERA in 29 starts and six relief appearances for the Baltimore Orioles from 2006-09.

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It appears the Boston Red Sox have narrowed their search for a new manager to two candidates, Bobby Valentine and Gene Lamont. 

Valentine, 61, has not managed in the Major Leagues since 2002, when he managed the New York Mets. He has worked as an analyst for ESPN the previous two years.

Lamont, 64, has not managed in the Major Leagues since 2000, when he managed the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lamont is a former AL Manager of the Year, winning the award in 1993.

According to Pete Abraham of the Globe, an official announcement will not be made until next week at the earliest. 

Nothing will be settled today according to team sources and the earliest an announcement will be made is next week. Gene Lamont did indeed meet with ownership earlier this week, so he joins Bobby Valentine in that regard.

– For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Over the Monster.

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets’ owners have been ordered to undergo a jury trial if the case against them by the trustee for the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme goes forward.

In a six-page order Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff agreed with trustee Irving Picard and turned down arguments by the ownership group headed by Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, who claimed the case should be decided by a judge because it began in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Picard originally sought $1 billion from the Mets’ owners, claiming they should have known millions they collected from Madoff represented phony profits. Wilpon and Katz have denied the claims in lengthy litigation.

Rakoff dismissed nine of 11 counts on Sept. 27, limiting the exposure of the Mets’ ownership to about $386 million.