Major League Baseball owners made their long-expected salary cap proposal to the players’ association on Thursday, a system the union has vowed never to accept, setting the sides on course for a confrontation that threatens the 2027 season and perhaps beyond.

Baseball players seek expanded free agency and salary arbitration rights.

Negotiators for locked-out players and Major League Baseball bargained past midnight for the second time in a week, and Commissioner Rob Manfred’s Tuesday deadline to reach a deal preserving a 162-game season passed with no announcement.

Major League Baseball reacted angrily to the latest offer by locked-out players when bargaining to end the lockout resumed, accusing the union of backtracking and showing no sign of a breakthrough to get the derailed season back on track.