CHICAGO - Baseball players backed off setting a strike date Monday, saying they were hopeful recent progress in bargaining talks could lead to an agreement by week's end.

        Sean Casey, the alternate player representative for the Reds, filled in at the Chicago meeting for player rep Aaron Boone, who had a previous commitment. Casey said he felt optimistic.

        “I think the reason we didn't set a strike date is we're hoping things can pan out the next days and avoid it,” Casey said.

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

        Talks were to continue today in New York, and the board scheduled a telephone conference call Friday to review developments.

        “There has been progress on a number of issues over the last several days,” union head Donald Fehr said. “It would be very nice if that progress continued.”

        By delaying setting a deadline, the union increases pressure on the owners without the threat of an imminent walkout.

        Rob Manfred, the owners' top labor lawyer, called the decision “a positive step.”

        “We look forward to getting back to the bargaining table and hope we can reach a negotiated agreement without any need for the interruption of the season,” he said.

        Both sides pointed out how they had moved closer to an agreement since the talks began in January.

        Last week, they agreed on a $100,000 raise in the minimum salary to $300,000 and to mandatory random testing for steroids. But they are still apart on the key issues of increased revenue-sharing among the 30 teams and management's desire for a luxury tax on high-payroll clubs.

        The luxury tax appears to be the most difficult issue, with Fehr describing it “as a big hurdle.”

        The key to finding a deal may be finding a tax level that can satisfy management's desire to restrain salaries while not slowing them so much that players would strike over the issue.

        ———

        John Fay (jfay@enquirer.com) contributed to this report.

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