HOUSTON -- A couple of rows behind the third base at Minute Maid Park on Monday, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria watched his team open the season against the Astros.

Joining Loria as invited guests were officials from San Antonio, who made the trip to explore relocation options.

San Antonio is aggressively pursuing the Marlins, who remain stalled in stadium talks in South Florida.

Attending Monday's opener were Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, District Attorney Susan Reed and San Antonio commissioners.

In their 14th season, the Marlins remain committed to staying in South Florida. But without a new stadium, that won't be possible beyond the 2010 season. That's when the current series of leases at Dolphins Stadium expires. The team is signed at its current home through 2007.

Loria summed up the Marlins' meetings with San Antonio in a couple of words.

"They're serious," Loria said. "We're talking seriously with San Antonio and we will also will look at other markets."

Since being granted permission to seek relocation, the Marlins have visited San Antonio and Portland, Ore., along with meeting with executives from Norfolk, Va.

No specific meetings are set with additional markets. But the fact San Antonio has shown the most outside interest makes them the front runner, among out of Florida markets.

Marlins president David Samson continues to have regular dialogue, about three times a week, with Miami-Dade County officials. Samson says he had a conversation locally with politicians on Sunday, and added that the "most progress" in South Florida has been with Hialeah.

Relocation is a difficult, and time consuming process, Samson said.

"Baseball looks at markets very carefully," Samson said. "They study them and they try to figure out the historical significance of relocation and what it would mean. They want to make sure that it doesn't fail.

"They are going to ensure that if baseball moves to San Antonio, it's going to stay and it's going to stay healthy."

San Antonio representatives will be meeting with the Marlins throughout the three-game series in Houston.

Samson says it is important to build personal relationships to move forward in consummating future deals. That is part of what Monday was all about.

"The obstacles are that you have to get a deal that makes sense, from baseball's standpoint, and from the Marlins' standpoint, and from the people's standpoint in San Antonio," Samson said. "And only when you have that collection can a deal happen with any particular team that is trying to relocate. Relocation has never been easy in baseball."

The state of Texas already has two big league clubs, the Astros and Rangers. Would the league approve a third franchise?

"That really hasn't come up," Samson said. "I think that Texas is doing well and so is Houston. From the state standpoint, Texas can certainly have three baseball teams. And they all can be healthy. But that is something that the owners and baseball would ultimately have to decide."

Meeting with San Antonio officials on Opening Day certainly is awkward in terms of timing. Samson said it was a coincidence that the Marlins happened to be in Houston for the first game.

"I assure you we would not be with the Mayor of San Antonio if we were opening in Los Angeles," Samson said.

Samson added the fans in South Florida should focus more on the local effort to retain the team rather than meetings with people from other markets.

"To focus their concern solely on San Antonio, I think, is a mistake," Samson said regarding South Florida fans. "Their focus should be Florida-centric, to figure out how to save their team. The decision has not been made to relocate this team. The decision has been made to find a place to play by 2011."