The sale of the Major League Baseball-owned and operated Washington Nationals should be complete by early September, with possible approval and closing by the end of the season, MLB's second-highest official said on Wednesday. Eight groups are still in the running, with the three that have the strongest ties to the District among the top candidates. On Wednesday, a report was presented to the relocation committee, which has overseen the team's move from Montreal and its sale, and later heard by the executive council. "The Commissioner is committed, he said, to getting this done within 30 days," Bob DuPuy -- MLB's vice president, chief operating officer and No. 2 official behind Commissioner Bud Selig -- said. "Ballpark, Labor Day. That's still our target for announcing a winner."