A path to an agreement between Major League owners and players remains unpaved, but one obstacle was removed Monday. Players dropped their request to expand free agent eligibility, according to a source familiar with a face-to-face bargaining session held in New York.
The players had sought changes to three pillars of past collective bargaining agreements: free agent eligibility, arbitration eligibility and revenue sharing. The owners have told players those issues are non-starters.
The Feb. 16 scheduled start of spring training remains in question because of the glacial pace of negotiations and the lack of progress on core issues.