Progress has been made in labor talks as Major League Baseball and its players union are meeting Tuesday to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement, sources told ESPNs Buster Olney.With both sides inching closer to an accord, hope is emerging that a new labor deal will be put in place.?The last big hurdle for MLB and the union in CBA talks is the competitive balance tax, sources said. Commonly referred to as a luxury tax, it is used by sports leagues to penalize teams that spend past a certain threshold, thereby theoretically leveling the playing field between large-market and small-market teams.Some agents are completely perplexed by the impasse, with some believing MLBPA leadership needs to communicate with the rank-and-file players about whats at stake.I dont think a lot of players know why there would be a work stoppage and the impact it would have on them, one agent said Tuesday.The current agreement expires Thursday, and the two sides are in negotiations in Dallas. The conversations have been far from seamless, and though sources on both sides believe the unsettled issues are not of such gravity that they threaten the integrity of the upcoming season, talks have progressed slowly. Wholesale Custom Hurricanes Shirts . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. Cheap Custom Hurricanes Jersey . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. http://www.customhurricanesjersey.com/ . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. Custom Hurricanes Jerseys . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. Glen Wesley Jersey Large . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue.Kris Meeke secured the second World Rally Championship victory of his career after leading almost from start to finish in Portugal. The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland took the lead early on Friday morning and remained in control to cross the finishing line 29.7 seconds clear of Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen.Meeke, whose only other Championship win came in Argentina last year, admitted: It was nearly a perfect weekend, a text book performance. Its another step for me as a driver. This year is all about gathering experience and I couldnt have done any more. Well use these rallies this year for our benefit and try to mount a title challenge next year.It shows the Citreon DS3 is a great car. For me too its another step. Im really, really excited about 2017. Kris Meeke on day two in Faro Meeke led for all but one of the 19 stages and the win leaves him seventh in the Drivers Championship, albeit a distant 88 points behind leader Sebastien Ogier.ddddddddddddThe Frenchman, driving a Volkswagen, finished third in Portugal, 34.5s adrift of Meeke.And the three-time defending champion bemoaned his luck, saying: I had another puncture, so two and only one spare.Luckily it was a slow puncture so I was able to get enough air in for the stage.Mikkelsen, who was second in Portugal, is also second in the title race, 47 points behind his team-mate.Rally de Portugal results:1 Kris Meeke (GB) Citroen 3:59:01.02 Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway) Volkswagen + 29.7s 3 Sebastien Ogier (France) Volkswagen + 34.5 4 Daniel Sordo (Spain) Hyundai + 1:37.1 5 Eric Camilli (France) Ford + 4:01.6World Championship standings:1 Sebastien Ogier (Fra) Volkswagen 114 points2 Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway) Volkswagen 67 3 Mads Ostberg (Nor) M-Sport 58 4 Hayden Paddon (NZ) Hyundai 57 5 Daniel Sordo (Esp) Hyundai 56 Also See: Features Live on Sky Sports Get Sky Sports ' ' '