San Juan, Puerto Rico ? If the Montreal Expos play a split home schedule next year, they want conditions a little more in their favor.

Expos players met before Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs at Hiram Bithorn Stadium and decided not to vote on whether to accept such a plan.

“There’s no vote needed at this time,” player representative Brian Schneider said.

He said the players presented their concerns over playing another 22 “home” games away from Montreal and also made suggestions on how to improve their working conditions.

“Comfort and competitiveness” were the main issues, the catcher said.

Schneider said that if the Expos did play another split schedule like this season, major league baseball has to make some concessions. He would not elaborate.

“We want everything to be better,” Schneider said.

Schneider said he is going to present those concerns to Gene Orza, the No. 2 official of the players’ union, probably “within the next day or so.”

After meeting July 31 with Orza, Expos’ players said they would not approve another schedule with home games at two sites, saying the extended road trips hurt their chances to make the playoffs.

The Expos were 32-18 on May 25, then went 8-14 on a 25-day trip that included their second homestand in Puerto Rico.

After meeting with Orza again Friday, players said they would reconsider their opposition to a split schedule.

Schneider said the team was looking at three different scenarios for next year: playing all 81 home games in Montreal, splitting home games between Montreal and San Juan or between Montreal and Monterrey, Mexico.