"Reds general manager Walt Jocketty met with the representatives for second baseman Brandon Phillips Wednesday at the General Manager Meetings in Milwaukee.

"It went fine," Jocketty said. "We had a nice meeting. We made progress, good progress."

A deal is not in the immediate offing.

"It's a process," Jocketty said.

Phillips is seeking a long-term deal. The Reds exercised his $12 million option in early November and agreed to keep talking about a contract extension. Wednesday's meeting was the first since then."