What’s Next: Where MLBPA Leaders Stand After Tony Clark’s Resignation

SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Major League Baseball Players Association was still without an interim executive director when MLBPA officials began their annual spring training visits with teams Wednesday morning. By Wednesday afternoon, that had changed. A day after Tony Clark’s abrupt resignation, MLBPA Deputy Executive Director Bruce Meyer was unanimously elected by players to fill Clark’s vacancy as interim union leader. Meyer will again lead negotiations at a crucial time, with the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire Dec. 1 and a possible lockout looming if a deal is not reached by that date. Meyer joined the union staff in 2018 and served as the union’s lead negotiator for the current collective bargaining agreement, which was ratified after a 99-day lockout in March 2022. That time, MLB and the MLBPA reached an agreement before missing games. The union’s executive council of player representatives met Tuesday afternoon with MLBPA staff and outside lawyers to discuss next steps after Clark’s ouster, but failed to vote on a successor at that time. However, the vote finally took place a day later, after player representatives met with their teams. Clark, who led the MLB players’ union since 2013, resigned from his position Tuesday after an internal investigation allegedly revealed an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who was hired as a union employee in 2023. Separately, a federal investigation into Clark and the union’s handling of finances remains ongoing. Clark was scheduled to join union officials Tuesday to begin the MLBPA’s first camp visits with the Guardians before that meeting was canceled. Meyer said the information that led to Clark’s resignation only came to light in the last “72 hours or so.” “On a personal level, I think we’ve all been pretty devastated by the events that have happened over the last 48 to 72 hours,” Meyer said. “I’m not going to go any further in terms of personal feelings, but it’s fair to say that we were all personally upset, worried about Tony. But I think it was something that the players were determined to do at that particular moment, and we’re going to move forward and be strong again like we always are.” What’s next at the helm of the MLBPA? As the former deputy executive director, Meyer was the most logical option to replace Clark given time constraints, with the current CBA set to expire in less than a year. Matt Nussbaum was named interim deputy executive director, taking Meyer’s former role. Prior to joining the MLBPA, Meyer was a senior advisor to the NHLPA. A longtime attorney, Meyer also has experience negotiating for the NFL and NBA players’ associations. Nussbaum has been with the MLBPA since 2011 and was promoted to general counsel in 2023. “We want the union to be in a good position,” Meyer said. “We want the union to stay strong. That’s all that matters to us.” Meyer will now continue his role as the union’s lead negotiator ahead of what is likely to be a contentious union battle. He was elected by the 72-member executive council, which includes an eight-member executive subcommittee, 30 player representatives and 34 minor league positions. What’s next for the unity and strength of the MLBPA? MLB’s current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, after which owners could decide to lock out players if an agreement has not been reached. This made the timing of the director’s vacancy particularly troubling. Meyer, after speaking to Royals players Wednesday morning as MLBPA officials began their annual visits to camp — and before he was elected the new executive director — remained adamant that any delays would not impact negotiations with the league. “We don’t expect anything to change in terms of negotiations,” Meyer said. “We’ve been preparing for negotiations for years. The players are preparing. The players know what’s coming. Ultimately, leadership is important, and leadership comes and goes, but what remains are the players. Ultimately, it’s the players who determine the direction of the union. Ultimately, it’s the players who determine our priorities in negotiations. Those priorities obviously haven’t changed and won’t change.” Meyer added that he didn’t think Clark’s resignation would weaken the union. “Anyone who is going to assume that and act on it is really making a mistake,” Meyer said. “I’m not going to say it’s a good thing. It’s unforeseen. There have been some looming issues, as you know, and in some ways it’s good to get them resolved as soon as possible. I’m not going to say it’s nothing and there won’t be disruptions, but at the end of the day, the negotiation is the most important thing, it always has been the most important thing, and our team has been preparing for it for years and remains in place.” [MLB Spring Training Buzz: Dodgers RHP Brusdar Graterol Not Yet Ready for 2026] Meyer doesn’t expect Clark’s ouster to impact the timetable for negotiations, which are expected to begin after Opening Day, likely in April. “For reference, I last checked we started April 20,” Meyer said. “There is no hard and fast rule, but we will be ready, and I anticipate the system will operate on a normal schedule starting in the spring.” The question in upcoming negotiations is how far owners will go to impose a salary cap, a concept players have always steadfastly rejected. “We have a duty to the players and to listen to everything the league offers,” Meyer said. “We will evaluate, analyze everything that is proposed. We will report back to our players and make our recommendations to them. Our position, and the historic position of this union for decades on the salary cap, is well known. It is the ultimate restriction. It is something that the owners of all sports have wanted more than anything, and in baseball in particular, there is a reason for it – because it is good for them and not good for the players. Last spring, MLBPA officials met with teams to discuss negotiations and the upcoming 2026 negotiations. They then toured with teams in the summer, something they had never done before, meeting with each team individually on the road to continue negotiations discussions. “We got great participation and great engagement,” Meyer said. “We had a fantastic board meeting in December. In between we talked to the players, not just me but our former players on the staff. So the guys are engaged. The guys are locked in. The guys appreciate the importance and the significance of what’s coming.” Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the LA Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU graduate, Rowan was born in California, raised in Texas, then returned to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.