The MLBPA is losing its leader months before the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is set to expire. MLBPA executive director Tony Clark has resigned from his position, the union announced Tuesday.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Clark resigned on the heels of an internal investigation, which revealed an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who worked for the union beginning in 2023. At an emergency meeting Tuesday afternoon, union leadership did not vote on an interim executive director, according to Passan. That vote is expected to happen on Wednesday.
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Clark, 53, and the MLBPA were expected to start touring spring training facilities Tuesday. Their first stop — at Cleveland Guardians camp — was reportedly canceled, per The Athletic.
The reported news comes just months before the current CBA is set to expire on Dec. 1. The union and MLB owners are expected to engage in a furious labor battle ahead of the new CBA, which many expect could lead to a lockout ahead of the 2027 MLB season. There is speculation the owners will push hard for a salary cap, something the players have opposed for years.
Clark has played a major role in helping negotiate previous CBAs for the players. He reportedly took an active part in negotiations as a player before being hired by the MLBPA in 2010. He was initially a director of player relations before being hired as the union’s executive director in 2013. He oversaw negotiations ahead of the 2016 CBA and the contentious 2022 lockout, which resulted in Opening Day being postponed by a week as negotiations extended into March.
Deputy executive director Bruce Meyer also played a big role in the 2022 CBA negotiations. While Meyer is the most likely candidate to replace Clark as the MLBPA’s executive director, that’s not a guarantee. Players reportedly took issue with Meyer as recently as 2024, asking for him to be fired, per ESPN. The players who opposed Meyer reportedly wanted to put lawyer Harry Marino, who played an instrumental role in helping minor-league baseball players unionize ahead of the 2023 season, into the deputy role. Marino left the MLBPA in 2023, months after negotiating the first CBA for minor-league players.
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Despite the 2024 incident, Meyer is considered the most likely person to take over following Clark’s reported retirement, per ESPN.
Prior to working with the MLBPA, Clark had a 15-year career in the majors. A first baseman, he put up a career slash line of .262/.339/.485 with 251 home runs. He spent time with six MLB teams, with the majority of his playing career split between the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Clark’s resignation also comes amid a federal investigation into whether MLBPA officials used “licensing money or equity to improperly enrich themselves,” per The Athletic.
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New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien, who is part of the MLBPA subcommittee, said Tuesday that he was unsure whether Meyer would continue as the organization’s lead negotiator.
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Brent Suter — another member of the MLBPA subcommittee — added that the MLBPA will likely go with an interim leader ahead of the upcoming negotiations, per The Athletic. Suter said the organization wants to keep things stable with the CBA expiring in a few months. He added that he has a sense of who will be chosen as the interim leader of the MLBPA but did not name a specific person.
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