Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has reached an agreement to sell the team to a group of investors that includes New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, according to a report from the Miami Herald on Tuesday afternoon.
There are "other details to be worked out," but that deal would have to be approved by Major League Baseball, according to an MLB source.
The source told the Herald that Bush and Jeter's group has agreed to pay $1.3 billion for the team.
Though both the Marlins and the purchasing group are confident that the deal will get done, the actual process could take months to finalize.
The MLB source suggested that Bush, who recently ran for the Republican nomination for president, plans to be the Marlins’ “control person,” or the individual who would have ultimate control over franchise decisions.
The report suggests that Jeter, too, will have an active role with the team.
This news comes just hours after Marlins president David Samson ripped to shreds a Forbes magazine report suggesting that the Bush/Jeter group was the only one interested in buying the team. Forbes had reported earlier in the day that another potential ownership group — this one including Tagg Romney, son of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine was out of the running to buy the Marlins.
"As with most things published by Forbes regarding the Miami Marlins," Samson told the Herald, "this most recent story is also inaccurate. There are inaccuracies contained in each paragraph."
