HOUSTON -- The representative for free-agent left fielder Carlos Lee met with Astros general manager Tim Purpura and owner Drayton McLane on Wednesday, a Houston television station reported.

"It was a real positive meeting. It's accurate to say things are progressing," Purpura told MLB.com.

KRIV-TV reported Purpura and McLane met for a couple of hours in Houston with agent Adam Katz, who represents the two-time All-Star outfielder.

Purpura has had many conversations with Katz, but this is only the second time McLane has sat in on the negotiations. McLane is believed to have taken part in one of the meetings with Purpura and Katz in Naples last week.

"Drayton being here is a big part of the process. He is the ultimate decision maker from our point of view," Purpura told the station. "Anytime you have a meeting face-to-face, it is a sign that things are progressing."

Purpura met with Katz last week at the General Managers Meetings in Naples, Fla., and the club has had a multi-year offer on the table to Lee since then. Purpura declined to discuss specifics of the negotiations, but he maintains time is of the essence.

"I wouldn't say however long it takes, our window of opportunity here is somewhat slim," Purpura said. "The market is moving very quickly. There are some desireable free agents, certainly not to the level of Carlos Lee, but very desireable free agents that I've been in contact with the last couple of days who have offers on the table.

"Maybe their preference would be Houston. They are going to have to make some decisions in the next two, three, four, five days, and if we don't get to them we lose them, so we're not going to let this go very long.

"We feel like if it is going to work with Carlos, it is going to work here in the next week or so, and if not, we're going to have to move along and get on to some other things. I think it will come to some type of resolution here in the short term."

Houston is one of several teams trying to land the free-agent slugger, who hit a combined .300 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs for Milwaukee and Texas last season. In addition to the Astros, the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles are among the teams believed to be considering the 30-year-old free agent.

Lee, who was paid $8 million in 2006, is a career .286 hitter with 221 home runs and 772 RBIs in eight Major League seasons. He has driven in 80 or more runs each of the last eight seasons and has scored 100 or more runs four times.

The native of Panama has surprising speed for a man his size (6-foot-2, 240 pounds) and has reached double figures in steals seven times in the last eight years, including a career-high 19 of 21 stolen base attempts last season.

Since the 2003 season, Lee is tied for 12th in the Major Leagues with 131 home runs and ninth with 442 RBIs.