MLB Poised to Cancel More Games as Deal Remains in Limbo

Another marathon meeting between Major League Baseball and the Players Association once again produced little results. And, like last week, if a deal is not struck this afternoon, baseball is prepared to announce the cancellation of more games.

Both sides met for 17 hours until breaking at 3 a.m. Tuesday. According to reports there was some progress with the owners moving their Collective Bargaining Tax (CBT) proposal of $220 million from a week ago to $228 million. That is still about $10 million shy of the players proposal for $238 million.

There are some strings attached with MLB desiring a fourth tier of penalty in order to cut back on "runaway spending."

The owners also increased their offer for the pre-arbitration pool to $40 million per season, still well short of the $80 million the players wanted. Minimum salary also moved incrementally from a $700,000 proposal by the owners  to a $770,000 proposal.

MLB is also interested in introducing an international draft -- considered a non-starter for the union, and both sides still can't agree on the format of a potential 14-team playoff field. The owners want to expand the playoffs to 14 teams. The Players want to cap it at 12 teams.

If both sides can come to an agreement today, it could very well save the original start of the season many thought was lost after last week's stalemate. The first week of games that were "cancelled" could be made up, and the 162-game schedule would be restored should an agreement happen. If not, the second week of games will be cancelled.