Source: El Paso Diablos To Be Sold This Week

The El Paso Diablos minor league baseball team will be sold this week to a local ownership group, according to a source close to the organization.

The source told ABC-7 an announcement is planned for Friday. The team is currently owned by Wisconsin-based Ventura Sports Group and has been for much of the last decade.

The source said the team won’t be leaving El Paso. Who is a part of the local ownership group remains a mystery.

It is not immediately clear how a lawsuit involving the Diablos’ current owners, the Ventura Sports Group, could affect the sale.

David Pearlman and Pearlman Baseball Investors, LLC, filed a lawsuit on Jan. 8, 2010 in El Paso County against Ventura Sports Group regarding a partnership formed to own and operate the El Paso Diablos baseball team. The lawsuit alleges breach of contract, minority shareholder oppression, breach of fiduciary duty and conspiracy.

According to court documents, that lawsuit is set to go to trial in August.

The Diablos have played in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball since 2006. In 2005, the team played in the Central Baseball League.

The Diablos have not been affiliated with a Major League Baseball team since 2004, the last year the team was the Double A team for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diablos will have an exhibition game on Sunday against the Las Cruces Vaqueros at Cohen Stadium before opening the regular season on May 12 against the Kansas City T-Bones, also at Cohen Stadium.

Information: www.diablos.com

ABC-7 Web Producer Leonard Martinez contributed to this report.