NEW YORK (AP) — For all the vitriol, Major League Baseball owners and locked-out players have closed the gap in recent weeks and are negotiating on similar frameworks for a new collective bargaining agreement.
With the lockout in its 96th day Monday, the sides remained apart to various degrees on three of the most significant items: the luxury tax, pre-arbitration bonus pool and minimum salary.
MLB told the union on Monday that Tuesday was the last possible day to reach an agreement that would allow a 162-game schedule, along with full salary and service time, a deadline first reported by The Athletic.
Openers on March 31 were among 91 games already canceled, and Commissioner Rob Manfred appeared to be on the verge of calling off more.
Elsewhere around the majors:
— Kim Kwang-hyun has left the St. Louis Cardinals and will return to South Korea on a record four-year contract. The left-handed pitcher will rejoin his old club, now known as the SSG Landers, in the Korean Baseball Organization. The club issued a statement saying the deal is worth up to $12.3 million) over four seasons and is the largest contract in the league’s history.
