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Tony Clark, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), was expected to be at the forefront of an intense union battle this offseason with MLB. Instead, it appears he is resigning.
Clark’s announced resignation comes as he and the union face a federal investigation by the Eastern District of New York for alleged financial improprieties. The 53-year-old was under investigation for using licensing or equity money to enrich himself, according to multiple reports.
PK Press Club Digital reached out to the MLBPA for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
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Tony Clark walks the black carpet at the Players Party 2025 hosted by MLBPA, Fanatics, Topps and Lids at Flourish in Atlanta, Georgia on July 14, 2025. (Derek White/Getty Images for MLBPA, Fanatics, Topps & Lids)
Clark and the MLBPA were supposed to begin their annual tour of spring training camps on Tuesday, starting with the Cleveland Guardians, according to The Athletic. However, following this information, the meeting was canceled.
Clark’s expected resignation comes just months before CBA negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA.
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Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark, right, and chief negotiator Bruce Meyer arrive for negotiations with the players’ union in an effort to reach an agreement to save the March 31 openers and a 162-game season at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., March 1, 2022. (Greg Lovett/USA TODAY NETWORK)
Owners are widely expected to lock out players at the start of the offseason and push for a salary cap to be put in place. If the owners do indeed proceed with a lockout, it would be the second time in a row that they have locked out players upon the expiration of the CBA.
In 2021, the sport was suspended for 99 days. Over the past four seasons, as spending at teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets has reached extraordinary levels, there has been a fervent push for a salary cap to be put in place, leading fans to wonder whether a lockout would threaten the entire 2027 season.
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Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark speaks to reporters at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida on March 5, 2025. (Evan Petzold/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Historically, the MLBPA has been vehemently opposed to a salary cap.
In 1994, the Union’s refusal to budge on implementing a cap resulted in the cancellation of that season’s World Series, with players going on strike midseason.
The MLBPA has not yet named a replacement for Clark.
