Scant progress the final blow to on-time MLB spring training

By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The final blow has been dealt to an on-time start to spring training, with Major League Baseball making a new offer Saturday that the players’ association received as only scant progress in the drawn-out labor talks. On the 73rd day of the lockout, clubs gave the union 16 documents totaling 130 pages, encompassing all key areas under discussion but containing many previous proposals. The session was the fifth on core economics since the lockout began, and the sides remained far apart on luxury tax thresholds and rate, with major revenue-sharing differences. The players’ union said it would analyze the offer before determining when and how to respond.