Major League Baseball and the players' association held a face-to-face meeting on Monday for the first time since the lockout began on December 2.

While negotiations may finally be gaining momentum, a number of reports described the meeting as contentious.

A Sportsnet report stated that the league expressed a willingness to accept the forfeiture of regular season games as the lockout drags on.

Some on the players' side believed the league's message amounted to a threat. 

With the regular season currently set to begin on March 31, it is generally believed that a new collective bargaining agreement would need to be in place by the beginning of March in order for the season to begin on time.