WASHINGTON - The Washington Nationals are finally set to hire a manager. Mets third-base coach Manny Acta was expected to get the job Tuesday, when the Nationals said they would hold a news conference to announce a replacement for Frank Robinson.

New York Mets third base coach Manny Acta, is shown during the U.S. All-star team's first workout at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, in this Nov. 1, 2006, file photo. Acta is expected to be hired by the Washington Nationals as their new manager, a baseball official told The Associated Press on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Nationals hadn't made an announcement, said he had been told that Acta is getting the job. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

The 37-year-old Acta would become the youngest current manager in the major leagues.

It would be Acta's first managing job in the majors. He has managed in the minors, and led the Dominican Republic to the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic this year.

Acta was Robinson's third-base coach with the Montreal Expos from 2002-04, before the franchise moved to Washington.

The Nationals told Robinson he wouldn't be back at the end of last season, when the club went 71-91 and finished in last place in the NL East for the third consecutive year.

Washington interviewed several managerial candidates, with varying degrees of experience, including Lou Piniella and Joe Girardi, both saying they withdrew from consideration.