DALLAS -- The Boston Red Sox's slow winter brightened dramatically when the club reached a preliminary agreement with Manny Ramirez on an eight-year contract worth $160 million, SportsLine.com has confirmed.

Ramirez, who maintained through his agent, Jeff Moorad, that the Indians remained his first choice all along, came very close to staying in Cleveland. One source said that Ramirez didn't eliminate Cleveland until a mere two hours before agreeing to terms with the Red Sox.

Despite missing 44 games, Manny Ramirez hit .351 last season with 38 home runs and 122 RBI.(AP)

Ramirez is scheduled to undergo a physical examination Tuesday before the deal, which includes a $16 million signing bonus and about $30 million in deferred money, is completed. An afternoon news conference in Boston is expected.

While the deal leaves a gaping hole in the middle of Cleveland's lineup, it means Boston general manager Dan Duquette's vigorous recruiting of Ramirez has paid off. Duquette meet Moorad in Florida last week, traveled to the agent's Southern California offices on Friday and then closed the deal in Dallas on Monday.

Indications grew Monday afternoon that the Sox were closing in on a deal when Duquette and the Boston contingent at the winter meetings in Dallas pushed back their scheduled afternoon flight to Monday evening.

Meanwhile, Cleveland's contingent flew home on Monday afternoon after, it is believed, presenting their best offer to Moorad. In the end, Ramirez rejected a $136 million, eight-year offer from Cleveland, according to an Associated Press source with knowledge of the offer.

Neither Boston general manager Dan Duquette nor Moorad could be reached for comment. Cleveland spokesman Bart Swain, reached at home late Monday night, said he had no knowledge of a deal.

"We've done what we can do,'' Indians general manager John Hart told the Associated Press, declining to confirm Cleveland's offer. "Maybe even beyond what we should do. We hope Manny takes this offer. But if he doesn't, we have a lot to be proud of because we feel our owner really stepped up.''

The Indians sent Dr. Louis Keppler to Florida to give Ramirez a physical, according to the Associated Press source with knowledge of the Indians' offer. Manager Charlie Manuel and teammates Travis Fryman and Jim Thome also called Ramirez within the last day to try to convince him to stay, the source said.

Ramirez, 28, hit .351 last season with 38 homers and 122 RBI in 439 at-bats. He missed 44 games with a hamstring injury, but still led the league in slugging percentage and was third in on-base average.

After returning from the DL, Ramirez, a .313 career hitter, batted .371 with 25 homers and 75 RBI in his final 71 games. In the last three years, only Sammy Sosa (437) has driven in more runs than Ramirez's 432.

Two years ago, Boston also tried to sign a run-producing outfielder. But all the Red Sox wound up doing was raising the price for the New York Yankees to re-sign Bernie Williams, who stayed home for an $87.5 million, seven-year contract.

Now, Ramirez's signing by the Red Sox could spice up an already heated rivalry with the Indians.

The teams have met in the postseason three times since 1995, with the Red Sox rallying from a 2-0 deficit to win the '99 division series in five games.

There is also bad blood between the clubs stemming from pitcher Pedro Martinez's dominance of the Indians. Last season, Martinez hit Indians second baseman Roberto Alomar with a pitch, touching off a benches-clearing incident that resulted in Martinez being suspended for five games.

Ramirez, chosen by the Indians in the 1991 draft, set a franchise record in 1999 with 165 RBI -- the most in the majors since Jimmie Foxx in 1938.

Ramirez was wildly popular with Indians fans. They embraced his quirkiness off the field and forgave his occasional mental lapses on it because of the mind-boggling offensive numbers he gave up. He finished his career with Cleveland in dramtic fashion, homering in his last season against Toronto in what turned out to be his final Jacobs Field at-bat in a Cleveland uniform.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.