Major League Baseball lockout appears imminent after negotiations end abruptly

[Auggie]

IRVING, Texas -- A lockout of Major League Baseball players appeared imminent after talks between the league and union ended after just seven minutes of negotiations Wednesday afternoon, less than 12 hours before the expiration of the game's collective-bargaining agreement.

In what's likely to be the last talks between the parties before the league's expected lockout of players Thursday, leaders for both sides met at the Four Seasons Dallas at Las Colinas. When the meeting adjourned minutes later, officials from the league left the hotel and players were told talks were done for the day.

It was an ignominious end to three days of bargaining that produced no progress after months of talks had done the same. While there was hope that the face-to-face meetings would generate some movement, no proposals gained traction.

SNIP

The chasm between the sides centers on the game's core economics. The union's proposal this week included playoff expansion to 12 teams and the ability to put patches on uniforms. The players remain steadfast in their desire to remove artificial restraints on free agency, get players paid more at earlier ages, fix service-time manipulation and address tanking.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32764835/major-league-baseball-lockout-appears-imminent-negotiations-end-abruptly