D.C. Stays In Running For Expos Franchise

"It's like selling a house," the source said. "You would never sell your house unless you knew that the buyer has the money to pay for it. That's just the way business is conducted."

Northern Virginia baseball proponents say 92 percent of their ballpark financing is in place, although questions about how the figures were calculated and how much additional financing will be needed remain.

Northern Virginia officials say the existing legislation gives them an advantage over Washington. But baseball sources said Virginia's bid presents problems because not all its financing is in place.

Portland has not asked baseball for a conditional award, but the city's financing for a downtown ballpark is not close to completion. The package hinges on the Oregon legislature's approval of a $150 million revenue bond.

But David Kahn, who is leading the Portland bid effort, said the bill might not come up for a vote before the end of this month, perhaps later.

During the June 20 meetings in Washington, according to Williams, the mayor told members of baseball's relocation committee that the District's financing package would not pass without a commitment from baseball to move the team.

The $339 million package would rely on new taxes to raise $275 million toward stadium construction, $15 million for renovation of the team's temporary home at RFK stadium and the rest for borrowing costs and other expenses.

"In my conversation, they seemed to be okay with that," Williams said.

Evans remains the wild card, however.

Late last week, he reiterated that he would refuse to allow a vote on financing unless baseball made a firm commitment to D.C. "Anything short of that, we've got nothing here," he said.

"Baseball blew it," Evans said. "They had their sweetheart deal with the mayor. That's gone."

Staff writer Craig Timberg contributed to this report.