MLB labor talks to extend to Friday as Monday deadline to cancel regular-season games looms

JUPITER, Fla. — With less than 4½ days until Major League Baseball's deadline for a labor deal to salvage Opening Day and a 162-game season, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and Miami Marlins infielder Miguel Rojas joined negotiations Thursday.

The sides met for the fourth straight day at Roger Dean Stadium, the idle spring training home of the Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals.

The union made proposals in two small areas, narrowing the number of young players who could earn additional major league service for accomplishments and loosening the union's proposed restrictions on high amateur draft picks in consecutive years. The latter would be an attempt to assist lower-revenue teams.

They scheduled another day of talks Friday.

Players who remained from earlier in the week included the Yankees' Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon, the New York Mets' Max Scherzer and Francisco Lindor, the Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt, the Chicago Cubs' Ian Happ, the Milwaukee Brewers' Brent Suter and free agent Andrew Miller.

Players gathered in the first base parking lot with union head Tony Clark, chief negotiator Bruce Meyer and staff before entering the ballpark just before 1 p.m.

Steinbrenner, Colorado Rockies CEO Dick Monfort and San Diego Padres vice chairman Ron Fowler were part of a management delegation that appeared to meet with the union for about 30 minutes before returning to MLB's meeting room.

MLB told the union that it will cancel regular-season games if a contract is not agreed to by the end of Monday, then made its stance public Wednesday.

Players have not accepted Monday as a deadline and have suggested any missed games could be made up as part of doubleheaders, a method