Officials from the Washington Nationals met with representatives of free agent slugger Sammy Sosa on Thursday night, the latest step in the club's pursuit of the former all-star who is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden and Andy Dunn, the team's farm director, met with Sosa's agents, Tom Reich and Adam Katz, in West Palm Beach, Fla. "There was an exchange about each party's position," Bowden said yesterday. "Dialogue continues, but there's really nothing more to report." The Nationals could be willing to bring Sosa to spring training, giving him an opportunity to make the team, but to this point won't guarantee the 37-year-old any money. That, it appears, could be a sticking point, and Sosa could wait until very close to spring training to see if interest develops from other clubs. There also remains a possibility that Nationals officials could try to meet face-to-face with Sosa in the coming weeks.