WORCESTER — The Pawtucket Red Sox are eyeing a triangular parcel of land between Madison Street and Green Street as the best place for a possible ballpark, and not the vacant Wyman-Gordon complex on the other side of Madison, according to a Pawtucket source.

The discussion between the team and city officials as to where the Triple A franchise might play if it moves here is focused on property surrounded by Madison Street, Washington Street and railroad tracks.

The parcel is intersected by Gold, Assonet, Washington and Plymouth streets. The city has a working diagram of the area, and while at first glance there might not seem to be enough land to site a baseball park, there is. Wyman-Gordon owns most of the property, a little over 5 acres, with a combined assessed value of about $1.6 million.

While there has been little public discussion here about the PawSox’s possible move to Worcester, in contrast to the raucous debate in Rhode Island, the city and team are engaged in regular conversations. One Pawtucket source requesting anonymity said, “We continue a dialogue with Worcester officials and have identified that triangle to the northeast of Madison Street and adjacent to the Canal District as a focal point of that discussion.”

Putting a stadium next to the existing businesses in the Canal District would fit with the blueprint PawSox owner Larry Lucchino has used in building two major league parks: Camden Yards in Baltimore and Petco Park in San Diego. Both stadiums have been shoehorned into downtowns like an SUV squeezing into a compact-car-only parking space.

The proposed site of the Rhode Island ballpark in downtown Pawtucket is hoped to be a catalyst for growth there, but does not have the same kind of surroundings already in place near the Madison-Green site.

Worcester sources have indicated that discussions between City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. and Mr. Lucchino, which have on occasion been held at neutral locations to avoid publicity, involve a major urban development plan that is focused on a new ballpark — which would be multi-use — and might also include projects such as a hotel.

Mr. Augustus declined to comment on a possible ballpark site Monday.

Any plan to bring the PawSox here would have to include a mechanism to guarantee that the interests of the Worcester Bravehearts of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League are taken care of in some manner, the city has insisted as part of the talks.

There has been discussion that if the Pawtucket Red Sox do not relocate here, a smaller stadium that could house the Bravehearts and provide for multiple uses, including non-sporting events such as concerts, might be built on the Madison-Green site.

The property is within the Worcester Redevelopment Authority's Downtown Urban Revitalization Plan, which targets about 118 parcels for rehabilitation or redevelopment.

As the process continues, the Canal District Alliance, originators of a postcard campaign to bring the team to Worcester, watches with quiet curiosity as to the outcome.

“We’re spectators in this,” Alliance President Gene Zabinski said. “When we see what’s happening in Rhode Island, that makes us nervous because it looks like the state is working with the PawSox to make something happen. When we ask questions of the city here, we are getting pleasant smiles. But we’ve heard no negative comments and the city manager did tell me that both sides are still talking, still communicating.”

While other cities have been in touch with the PawSox, the only two possible sites that have undergone public discussion are Worcester and Pawtucket. Springfield, occasionally mentioned as an option, would seem to be a long shot, considering that it is less than 30 miles away from an Eastern League team in Hartford, raising territorial issues.

A series of six public hearings on the Pawtucket stadium proposal has begun in Rhode Island. The first one, a week ago, lasted more than seven hours. The next one is scheduled for Tuesday night, the last one for Oct. 19.

Legislative leaders in Rhode Island are hoping for a November vote. The proposal, if it passes, does not sign and seal a deal. It authorizes the issuing of bonds to finance the stadium. However, considering how much time and effort would have gone into passing the legislation, it seems unlikely the two sides would not be able to negotiate a lease at that point.

The PawSox, led by longtime executive Mike Tamburro, have been vocal in trying to drum up support for the Rhode Island ballpark plan. Early in that process, with the Curt Schilling fiscal fiasco still a vivid memory, initial public reaction was mostly negative. That tide may be turning.

Where does that leave Worcester?

“It is a race to the finish line,” said one PawSox executive, adding that the negotiations are reminiscent of the ones between the Red Sox and Jon Lester. Lester, as it turned out, departed Boston for the Cubs.