MLB.com

By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com

The meeting, between Don Fehr, Gene Orza and Tony Bernazard of the union and the Expos' Brian Schneider and Brad Wilkerson, was conducted in manager Frank Robinson's office while the team was in New York on Wednesday to play the Mets at Shea Stadium.

Orza, the union's chief operating officer, said that a story quoting unnamed sources about the Expos' future that ran Thursday on ESPN.com was substantially correct. The story said that the union officials had told Schneider and Wilkerson "that a decision on their 2005 home is near, that it won't be Montreal and that there is a strong likelihood they will be living in the Washington, D.C., area."

"I told them that it was unlikely the team would be in Montreal next season and that the top candidates are still Washington and Northern Virginia," Orza said. "I also told them that Hampton Roads (Norfolk, Va.), and Las Vegas still had an outside shot at it and that Monterrey (Mexico) and Puerto Rico were out. I never told them where they would be playing next year because I don't know. Major League Baseball hasn't made that decision yet."

The update came as MLB's relocation committee continues to explore its options with a target of next season for moving the team, which is now in its third season of being owned and operated by the other 29 Major League owners.

Bob DuPuy, MLB's president and chief operating officer, said during last week's All-Star festivities in Houston that "we're under orders from the owners and the Commissioner to get this done."

A decision, once projected for the break, probably won't be made until late this summer. The owners gather for their quarterly meetings in Philadelphia on Aug. 17-19, but there's no guarantee a decision will be made by then.

DuPuy said on Thursday that union officials were only ranking the options for the Expos' new home.

"Apparently, union representatives offered their personal opinion as to what might happen with the team." he said. "It carries no imprimatur. No decision has been made and no final recommendation has been made to the Commissioner by the committee."

DuPuy also said that any tentative 2005 regular-season schedule would list Montreal as the team's home "until a decision is made."

Commissioner Bud Selig has stated since the beginning of the year that he wanted to have the Expos' situation determined in time for relocation in 2005. DuPuy said there was still time to put together a deal and accomplish that goal.

Schneider, the team's player rep, said that relocation was among a number of issues union officials discussed with the players.

"We were talking about any updates that have been going on (regarding relocation)," he said. "We are waiting to see just like everybody else. We'll wait for an announcement to be made."

Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. MLB reporter Bill Ladson contributed to this story. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

print this page    |    email this page