MLB's snail-paced lockout talks to resume with union offer

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Locked out baseball players plan to make a counteroffer to management on Monday, 11 days after clubs gave the union a proposal when the snail-paced negotiations resumed following a 42-day break.

The players’ association asked Major League Baseball on Thursday to schedule the negotiating session, which is to take place in-person.

There is dwindling time to reach an agreement in time for spring training to start as scheduled on Feb. 16.

The scheduled March 31 opening day is also increasingly threatened, given the need for players to report, go through COVID-19 protocols and have at least three weeks of workouts that include a minimal number of exhibition games.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

FILE - Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a news conference in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

Players don’t receive paychecks until the regular season, and owners get only a small percentage of their revenue during the offseason. Those factors create negotiations that are a game of chicken until mid-to-late February, when significant economic losses become more imminent.

When owners made their new proposal during a video meeting on Jan. 13, players reacted coolly and said they would contact MLB when they were ready to respond.

Baseball's ninth work stoppage, its first since 1995, started Dec. 2 following the expiration of a five-year labor contract.

Unhappy with a 4% drop in payrolls to 2015 levels, players have asked for significant change that includes more liberalized free agency and salary arbitration eligibility.

Six seasons of major league service have been required