Players said they saw enough progress so that they hoped an agreement could be completed by Friday.

Atlanta's Tom Glavine, a member of the union's executive board, said players are prepared to give the negotiating process "every chance to succeed."

"We feel like there's a window of opportunity to get something done in the next several days and we're willing to explore that," he said following a 3½-hour meeting of the board.

Union head Donald Fehr said: "You establish a date when you believe it is essential to reach an agreement, bearing in mind that a strike is the last thing the players want. And we are not at that point yet."

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