Major League Baseball is spreading the word: The Montreal Expos could be coming to stay in a town near you very soon.

In its first step toward relocating the Expos by 2004, the league invited several government officials from places such as Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Portland, Ore., to meet with the relocation committee in late February, the Washington Post reported.

What baseball wants to know is how much those local and state governments are willing to invest to attract the team, the story said.

"MLB wants to know, 'What evidence do you have your market can support a franchise?' and 'Where are you going to play and how is that stadium going to be paid for?' " an unidentified source told the Post. "In a perfect world, jurisdictions should have all approvals in place and money set aside."

MLB officials hope to make a decision before the all-star game in July, the newspaper said. Sources told the paper the league is following the NBA's method in first negotiating with officials in a city before deciding on an ownership group.

"This is all good news; this is really a clear sign of forward motion," said Tony Bullock, the spokesman for District Mayor Anthony A. Williams, who was unavailable to comment. "The District is, in a sense, a suitor of a debutante with expensive taste."

Bullock said the mayor would lead the city's delegation, "barring some sort of emergency or immovable conflict . . . because it is one of his highest priorities."

The Expos are being operated by the commissioner's office, which has ordered the team to keep its payroll to about the same level as this year, approximately $40 million. To do that, general manager Omar Minaya must trade players.

To increase revenue for the Expos, whose home attendance is among the lowest in the majors, the commissioner's office is moving 21 home games next season from Montreal to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The commissioner's office would like to sell the Expos by the 2004 season, and commissioner Bud Selig last month established a committee to be in charge of the process. No team has moved since the expansion Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers after the 1971 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.