JUPITER, Fla. — Five hours in the boardroom on Monday — sometimes together, sometimes in their own caucus — didn’t equate to major progress between MLB and the MLB Players Association as the sides remain far apart on a new collective bargaining agreement, sources told ESPN.
In the offices overlooking the spring field where the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins train, leadership from both sides began what is an important week of negotiations in order to preserve Opening Day on March 31.
Already, the start of spring training has been delayed with games postponed until at least March 5 as the owners continue to impose a lockout on players.
On Monday, the league increased its commitment in a pre-arbitration pool to $20 million — an increase of $5 million since its last offer — while adding another team to the lottery in its new NBA-style draft proposal. The moves were consistent…
