By Anietie anii-bassey
Tony Clark intends to resign as executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, according to a person familiar with the union’s internal deliberations, marking a significant leadership change just months before critical collective bargaining negotiations are set to begin.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been publicly announced, said a formal statement was expected later Tuesday. The move was first reported by ESPN.
Clark’s planned departure comes at a pivotal moment for baseball’s labor landscape. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, are investigating OneTeam Partners, a licensing venture launched in 2019 by the MLB players’ union, the NFL Players Association and the investment firm RedBird Capital Partners. The scope and focus of the investigation have not been publicly detailed, and no charges have been announced.
Clark’s decision also precedes the expected opening of negotiations in April on a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the current five-year labor contract, which expires Dec. 1. Industry observers anticipate that Major League Baseball’s owners may again push for structural economic changes, including a possible salary cap — a proposal long opposed by players and one that could trigger another work stoppage.
The specter of labor unrest looms large. A protracted dispute could jeopardize the start of the 2027 season, and if talks deteriorate, regular-season games could be canceled for the first time since 1995.
The union on Monday abruptly canceled the annual spring training tour by its staff, which had been scheduled to begin Tuesday with visits to the Cleveland Guardians in the morning and the Chicago White Sox in the afternoon. The tour traditionally allows union leadership to meet directly with players across all 30 clubs ahead of the season.
Clark, 53, is a former All-Star first baseman who made history as the first former player to head the MLBPA. He played in the major leagues from 1995 to 2009 and became active in union matters early in his career, attending his first executive board meeting in 1999 and steadily rising through the organization’s ranks.
In 2010, Clark was hired as the union’s director of player relations. Three years later, he was promoted to deputy executive director as then-union head Michael Weiner battled a brain tumor. After Weiner’s death in November 2013, Clark was elevated to executive director, becoming the fifth leader in the union’s storied history, following Marvin Miller, Kenneth Moffett, Donald Fehr and Weiner.
During his tenure, Clark guided players through two high-stakes rounds of bargaining. In December 2016, the union reached a deal with Major League Baseball roughly three and a half hours before the existing agreement was set to expire, averting a potential shutdown. In 2022, he led players through a contentious 99-day lockout before a new agreement was finalized in March of that year.
Deputy executive director Bruce Meyer is expected to serve as the union’s primary negotiator in the upcoming talks. Meyer joined the MLBPA in 2018 as senior director of collective bargaining and legal after a 30-year career at the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges. He was promoted to his current role in July 2022. Before joining baseball’s union, Meyer held a senior bargaining and legal position with the National Hockey League Players’ Association.
OneTeam Partners, the joint licensing venture now under federal scrutiny, was established to consolidate and expand commercial opportunities for athletes across multiple sports. In addition to its founding partners, the company has since added representation for players’ associations including the WNBA, Major League Soccer, the National Women’s Soccer League and the U.S. women’s national soccer team.
RedBird later sold its stake in the venture to HPS Investment Partners, Atlantic Park Strategic Capital Fund and Morgan Stanley Tactical Value.
Clark’s resignation, if finalized, would close a chapter defined by both stability and strain. He assumed leadership during a period of significant economic growth in baseball but also navigated escalating tensions over competitive balance, revenue distribution and player compensation. His exit now places the union at a crossroads as it prepares for another potentially defining confrontation with club owners.
With negotiations approaching and federal investigators examining one of the union’s key business ventures, the coming months are likely to test the MLBPA’s leadership and unity — and could shape the sport’s economic structure for years to come.
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