The Ottawa Citizen reports that Ryan-Sanders Entertainment, owned by Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, is negotiating through to own a minority share of an Eastern League (Double-A) franchise in Ottawa in 2014.
The company, which already owns minor league franchises in Double-A and Triple-A levels, is run by Ryan, his sons Reid and Reese and former Houston Astros part-owner Don Sanders.
It's a policy of the Ryan-Sanders people not to comment on ownership issues," Rebecca Gustafson, special assistant to Reid Ryan told The Citizen.
Nolan Ryan, baseball's all-time strikeout leader, is also principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers.
According to The Citizen, the Ryan-Sanders Group could play a key role in revitalizing Ottawa Stadium - which includes reducing the capacity from 10,000 to 8,000. The Ottawa ownership negotiations will be sent to Ottawa City Council for final approval later this month. Any sale agreement, which the paper says should include to have a local component to the ownership, will be subject to final approval by the other Eastern League owners.
Ryan-Sanders Entertainment currently owns the Triple-A Round Rock Express (Texas Rangers) and the Corpus Christi Hooks in Double-A (Houston Astros).
"I can confirm it's going to be a very exciting ownership," David Gourlay, head of the Champions for Ottawa Baseball ticket drive tld The Citizen. "These are professional people with a great understanding of professional baseball. These are very exciting individuals."
Files from The Ottawa Citizen were used for this report.
