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. The Globe's Gordon Edes has confirmed that the sides have reached a preliminary agreement on a $52 million, six-year contract, including escalators that could bring the total as high as $60 million.

Matsuzaka and Boras flew with the Red Sox contingent from California to Massachusetts earlier today. After a 4-hour, 43-minute flight from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., the Dassault Mystere 900 tri-jet landed at Laurence G. Hanscom Field in suburban Bedford at 5:16 p.m.

Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, president Larry Lucchino, and Epstein were seen coming off the plane with Matsuzaka in a light rain. An SUV and sedan were waiting on the tarmac along with a police cruiser with flashing lights. The caravan was headed to Mass. General Hospital, where it is presumed Matsuzaka underwent a physical.

Several dozen fans were on hand to great Matsuzaka, who waved and smiled as he was driven away from the airport.

"WELCOME HOME DAISUKE," read one sign.

A radio station distributed signs that pictured two dice and a K -- Matsuzaka's first name is pronounced "Dice-K."

"We thought we'd just come out here to take a look at him. I'm glad they're getting some good pitching," said 46-year-old Mark Fairweather of Lincoln, who had his 8-year-old son, Nick, on his shoulders.

Boston officials had traveled to Newport Beach, Calif., on Monday on Henry's plane and said they would return Wednesday with or without Matsuzaka. The team and Matsuzaka have a midnight Thursday EST deadline to reach an agreement.

In prior days, agent Scott Boras had said he would not allow Matsuzaka to travel to Boston for a physical unless the sides had reached a preliminary agreement.

The key to the negotiations was a meeting of the minds between Boras and his staff and Werner, Lucchino, and Epstein, which took place Tuesday at Boras’s Newport Beach, Calif., offices. By Wednesday morning, they were close enough for all to get on Henry’s private plane for a flight to Boston.

The Sox had won the exclusive right to sign Matsuzaka by posting a $51.1 million bid, which will be awarded to the Seibu Lions. Matsuzaka, who had dreamed of pitching in the major leagues, will join a Red Sox rotation that also includes two other 26-year-old righthanders in the prime of their careers, Jonathan Papelbon and Josh Beckett.

Matsuzaka is said to have command of five pitches, including two breaking balls, a high-rising fastball, a slider, and a devastating changeup.

Matsuzaka is expected to wear No. 18 and begin working with Sox pitching coach John Farrell almost immediately. The Sox are expected to have a hands-off approach at the start and will likely allow Matsuzaka to stay on his own pitching program. The one change could be that since Matsuzaka pitched once a week in Japan — and now he’ll have to pitch once every five days — his program between starts could be accelerated.

Matsuzaka has a 108-60 career record in Japan with a 2.95 ERA and 1,355 strikeouts in 204 games. He was MVP of the inaugural World Baseball Classic last March, won by Japan.

Matsuzaka is another piece to a revamped Sox roster that also includes the addition of rightfielder J.D. Drew and shortstop Julio Lugo. The team’s final, and perhaps biggest need, is a closer.

It appears the posting process will likely be changed dramatically for next season. About a week after the Sox won the posting over the Mets ($39 million), Yankees, Angels, and Rangers, commissioner Bud Selig said, ‘‘I think we need to review the process.’’

Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the Players’ Association, said the system has ‘‘such potential for abuse and fraud.’’ ‘‘Why should the [Japanese] club receive $51.1 million and the player is only getting, if the numbers in the papers are to believed, $7 or $8 million? That’s like saying the Cleveland Plain Dealer wants a Boston Globe writer and the Globe will let him go for $7 million, but $6 million of it goes to the Plain Dealer and the writer gets $1 million? What sense does that make?’’

Orza said he’s discussed the posting issue with Major League Baseball on numerous occasions and has always believed the process was severely flawed.

The negotiations certainly had their ups and downs. By the winter meetings in Florida last week, it was clear that Boras and the Red Sox were drawing a line in the sand. Boras believed that Japanese superstars should be paid the equivalent of their major league counterparts.

‘‘The level of Matsuzaka’s performance has been defined by major league managers, major league general managers and by the very [posting] value as being extraordinary,’’ Boras said last week in Orlando. ‘‘No one is suggesting this person will be anything but a top-of-the-rotation pitcher, who will have a dramatic impact on a franchise, if not immediately, certainly in the course of the contract.

‘‘What’s gone on here in the winter meetings for pitchers and players in general in this market, it’s very clear our game is very successful revenue-wise and players are receiving new salary levels, which is customary. As revenues increase, salaries increase. D-Mat will share and should share in the same market as all other players in major league uniforms share.’’

The fact that the Red Sox had to factor the $51.1 million posting fee into any contract they struck with Matsuzaka was a philosophical sticking point with Boras.

‘‘The fact that the Sox bid $51 million for Matsuzaka should not impact on how he is compensated,’’ Boras said. ‘‘If all major league teams bid one dollar, this issue would not be an issue. The fact of the matter is, what major league teams choose to bid to acquire the rights to a player does not in any way impact on the two rights values — one, the service rights, and the licensing rights he brings to a franchise.

‘‘The one thing that is true and does separate D-Mat from most all players is that he brings with him an entire [country] of 127 million people to a franchise, an identity to a franchise. When you do that, you’re bringing a value that is above the service value that a player brings.’’

The Associated Press and Gordon Edes of the Globe Staff contributed to this report.