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Sarasota, FL, United States (AHN Sports) – Representatives for Major League Baseball and the Players Association met in Florida Wednesday for their first formal session to discuss a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Union executive director Michael Weiner disclosed the meetings, which both sides hope lead to a new deal. The current Basic Agreement, which expires on Dec. 11, was signed in 2006.

Baseball hasn’t had a work stoppage since 1994, when a strike eliminated the last six weeks of the regular season, the postseason and the start of the ’95 season.

Both sides are looking to avoid that happening again.

“I think losing the ’94 postseason opened a lot of eyes,” said former player and manager Joe Torre, who was named MLB’s executive vice president of baseball operations on Saturday.

Weiner characterized the initial session as “productive.” The owners are seeking to expand the playoffs by adding two Wild Card teams as well as adding a slotting-pay system to a possibly expanded worldwide amateur draft.

The union is trying to figure out how to compress the schedule to include another round of playoffs.

Weiner, who replaced Don Fehr two years ago and is in his first round of bargaining as head of the union, said a number of players showed up to the session.

Weiner, who is on his annual tour of the Florida Spring Training camps, said there may be further talks when he visits the Arizona camps later this month.

Commissioner Bud Selig is hopeful that an agreement will be reached before another work stoppage.

“One of the things I’m very proud of is the 16 years of labor peace and I hope we can extend that,” Selig said.

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