FORT MYERS, Fla. – Each spring training, the Major League Baseball Players Association visits each major league camp for preseason meetings with players.
Those meetings were supposed to begin Tuesday in Arizona, with the Cleveland Guardians.
Instead, the meeting was canceled, and the baseball world was rocked by the news that MLBPA director Tony Clark is expected to resign from the post he’s held since 2013.
The news, as first reported by The Athletic, comes as players braces themselves for another lockout when the collective bargaining agreement expires at season’s end. The league locked out the players for 99 days when the previous CBA expired after the 2021 season. The upcoming negotiations are expected to be significantly more fraught, as owners are expected to push for the implementation of a salary cap, something to which Clark and the union are vehemently opposed.
Clark and the union are currently under federal investigation by the Eastern District of New York for improper use of funds.
New York Mets infielder Marcus Semien, one of the players on the union’s executive subcommittee, told ESPN’s Jorge Castillo he learned of Clark’s resignation this morning and believed it was due to the ongoing federal probe. Player representatives were given no advance notice.
“This came out with no discussion with reps,” Semien said.
Clark, 53, played 15 years in the majors with the Detroit Tigers, 2002 Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Padres.
Update (3:36 p.m. ET): According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Clark “resigned after an internal investigation revealed he had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who had been hired by the union in 2023.”
Update (9:43 p.m. ET): MLBPA released the following statement:
“The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) announced today Tony Clark has resigned as executive director. Clark joined the MLBPA staff as director of player relations in 2010 and succeeded Michael Weiner as executive director in 2013. He was the first former player to serve in the role.
“The full executive board of player representatives met this afternoon with MLBPA staff and outside counsel to discuss next steps; as always, the Players remain focused on their ongoing preparations for collective bargaining this year. The strength of this union is — and will always be — the solidarity of our membership. We have a long history of fighting for the rights of every Player, and we’re committed to making sure we can continue that fight successfully.”