Union narrows gap with MLB but issues remain blocking deal

By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Negotiators for locked-out players took steps toward Major League Baseball in a counteroffer that still left a gap between the bickering sides after Commissioner Rob Manfred let pass his deadline to preserve a 162-game season. A day after the sides negotiated on and off for 16 1/2 hours until 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, the union held a morning conference call with its executive board. Union chief negotiator Bruce Meyer and general counsel Ian Penny then walked three blocks through a wintry mix of rain and snow to deliver the proposal to MLB’s office and a short while later headed back to the union headquarters.