HOUSTON, May 10 (UPI) -- Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane says despite media reports he hasn't reached a deal to sell the team to Houston businessman Jim Crane.
McLane dismissed a report carried Monday by Houston's KTRK-TV that he and Crane's group had wrapped up negotiations and a deal was all but done.
"I haven't signed anything, Jim Crane and his group hasn't signed anything and Major League Baseball hasn't signed anything," McLane told MLB.com. "We're still negotiating, so there's nothing to report."
Talks between McLane and Crane, chief executive and founder of Crane Capital Group, have been ongoing for months. The Astros' owner said in December 2009 that he and Crane had reached a tentative deal on a sale the previous year, but it had fallen apart, the Web site reported.
McLane, who has owned the Astros for 18 years, put the team up for sale in November.
