BOSTON -- The Massachusetts Attorney General on Thursday said the record-setting bid for the Boston Red Sox was actually the lowest bid and threatened to block the sale unless the team releases documents supporting why it took $90 million less than what was offered.

Attorney General Tom Reilly said the $700 million winning bid shortchanges the charities supported by the Yawkey Trust, which controls 53 percent of the storied baseball team. Limited partners own the rest of the team -- whose properties include an 80 percent stake in the cable sports channel NESN.

Reilly, whose office oversees charitable foundations in Massachusetts, said Red Sox officials have refused his request for bid documents that support the winning bid by a group of investors led by Florida financier John Henry.

"There will be no rubber stamp for the limited partners, the (Yawkey) Trust, and Major League Baseball," Reilly said. "We need to know why the charities didn't get top dollar. ... We need to know what role Major League Baseball played in this process," Reilly said at a press conference.

"Of the finalists, the lowest bid was selected," Reilly added. "It appears there's a difference between the highest bid and the accepted bid of about $90 million."

Of that $90 million difference, Reilly estimated about $50 million would have gone to the charities the late Tom and Jean Yawkey intended. He said $50 million is more than what is currently in the trust.

John Harrington, the Red Sox chief executive and trustee of the Yawkey Trust, said in a statement after Reilly's remarks, that the team will provide the attorney general "with detailed and extensive documentation concerning the bidding process and the bids received so he can review this transaction to his full satisfaction.

"I am absolutely confident ... that once the attorney general has the facts, he will concur that the process was fair and appropriate and that the bid unanimously accepted by all the Red Sox partners last Thursday is not only the highest real bid, but also provides the most value to the charities we benefit," Harrington's statement continued.

The Yawkey family bought the team in 1933. The trust's share of the proceeds will be given to the Yawkey Foundation, a charitable group that has long supported Massachusetts and New England causes.

The Red Sox last won the World Series in 1918. They traded Hall of Famer Babe Ruth to archrival New York Yankees after the 1919 season. Since then, the Yankees have won the World Series 26 times.

Justin Morreale, who acted as legal counsel to the Red Sox owners in the sale, was not immediately available for comment.

Last week, the Red Sox accepted the bid from Henry's group, which includes Hollywood producer Tom Werner, the New York Times Co., and former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell.

The Yawkey Trust and limited partners rejected a $790 million offer made by a group led by Wall Street lawyer Miles Prentice.

The Red Sox said Prentice's offer was rejected because one of his key investors had not been approved by major league baseball, among other reasons.

Reilly said he meets with team officials next week. He declined to say what action he would take, if any, in the absence of the documents he is requesting.