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Just when it seemed all the momentum was lining up toward a sale of the Marlins to a group led by Derek Jeter and Jeb Bush, things have taken another turn. The alternative bidding group, led by Tagg Romney and also including Tom Glavine, has upped its offer to exceed the $1.3B sale valuation offered by the Jeter/Bush team, according to Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel.

Confirming the general situation, commissioner Rob Manfred told the Sun Sentinel that there are “two very strong groups” still in play. While he obviously did not tip his hand in any way, it’s certainly possible the league’s preferences could tip the scales here. Importantly, at present, we know nothing about the deep-pocketed, background investors who’d participate in either ownership group.

To be sure, the competing offers could shift the calculus for Loria and the league, though it seems they aren’t drastically different. While the new price would beat the $1.3B offer of Jeter and Bush, sources tell Barry Jackson and Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald that it is still shy of $1.4B. With both the league and the team looking over the competing bids, a decision is said to be likely to come soon.

The report also provides some details on the earlier agreement struck between Loria and the Jeter/Bush group, which some characterized as a sale agreement but really falls well shy of that. In fact, it’s just a “handshake deal” that was to allow that group “first opportunity” to get the club if financing was found and a deal was signed quickly. But it did not provide exclusivity, per the report; whether it was an agreement that bound the parties in any manner at all isn’t even clear.

Since there’s still no sale agreement in place — and, according to the Herald, the financing has still yet to be proven — it’s all still an open situation. Indeed, Jeter and Bush are now said to be working to bring in Wayne Rothbaum — who had previously led a third bidding effort — to infuse cash needed for their efforts, per Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg (via Twitter).

The Marlins are “moving forward” in negotiations with the would-be ownership group headlined by Derek Jeter and Jeb Bush, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (links to Twitter). The organization is said to be “optimistic” that a deal will be reached to transfer control from current owner Jeffrey Loria to Bush, who’d be the new control person, and the four other members of the group. It’s said to be an “agreement in principle” that sets a $1.3B purchase price.

This report follows some conflicting signals sent throughout the day. Earlier, a report suggested that the Jeter/Bush group was the only possible bidder left due to a lack of interest. But even that group was said not to have submitted a firm offer, with financing still in the works. Marlins president David Samson flatly rejected this report, saying it was strewn with errors but declining to specify or correct them.

Later, Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg reported that the Jeter/Bush group had “won the auction” for the organization — which presents quite a different picture of the entire process. In addition to framing it as an “auction” for the first time, this report says that there were multiple other bidding groups, including one headed by businessman Wayne Rothbaum and another led by Tagg Romney (which included Hall-of-Fame hurler Tom Glavine). When asked to respond, Samson stated that he would not offer any comment, as Tim Healey of the Sun-Sentinel tweets.

Notably, none of the reports suggest that any paperwork has been signed. It’s important to bear in mind, too, that even in the event that a preliminary agreement is struck, it would still be subject to a lengthy finalization process — between the parties and also involving authorization from Major League Baseball.