Minimal progress in latest MLB meeting

Baseball negotiations lasted for an hour Saturday when Major League Baseball made a new proposal that lawyers for locked-out players thought had only minor movement.

Major League Baseball eliminated the penalty of a third-round amateur draft pick for exceeding the luxury tax threshold.

Management maintained its plan to increase the threshold from $210 million to $214 million in both 2022 and 2023. Baseball increased its proposed threshold to $216 million in 2024, followed by $218 million and $222 million in the last two years of its proposal.

Bruce Meyer, the union’s head negotiator, arrived at Major League Baseball’s office with two staff lawyers for the meeting just four days before the scheduled start of spring training workouts.

It was just the fifth bargaining session on core economics since the ninth work stoppage in baseball history began on Dec. 2, after the expiration of a five-year labor contract.

The clubs made a 130-page offer that they hope could be the structure of an eventual memorandum of understanding.

College basketball: Walker Kessler recorded his second triple-double in six weeks, and just the third in program history, as No. 1 Auburn bounced back from a loss with a 75-58 victory over Texas A&M. Kessler’s final tally: 12 blocked shots, 12 points and 11 rebounds Saturday . ... Landers Nolley II scored 20 points and Jalen Duren had 14 points and 11 rebounds as Memphis rallied past No. 6 Houston 69-59.

Golf: Sam Ryder brought down the house with a hole-in-one on the stadium 16th hole Saturday in the WM Phoenix Open, where newcomer Sahith Theegala topped a leaderboard as crowded as the course. Theegala had a 14-under 199 total for a one-stroke lead over defending champion Brooks Koepka. Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and Talor Gooch were another stroke back.