MLBPA chief Tony Clark stepping down ahead of upcoming labor war

Tony Clark, who led the Major League Baseball Players' Association through two collective bargaining agreements and was preparing for what was anticipated to be a highly contentious CBA battle in 2026-27, is as resigning executive director Feb. 17, according to a baseball official with direct knowledge of the situation.

The official spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because the resignation wasn't yet official.

Clark, who held the post since 2013, brought the credibility of a former player the position, and oversaw significant union solidarity throughout his tenure after he took over for the late Michael Weiner. 

But his reign has not been without conflict. The MLBPA remains under federal investigation due to its role in OneTeam Partners, a licensing company co-owned with the NFLPA and three other sports unions.

A faction within his eight-player executive sub-committee also aimed to oust lead negotiator Bruce Meyer in 2024, an insurgency led by lawyer Harry Marino, a longtime advocate for minor league players who helped integrate them into the MLBPA.  

In December 2024, the three players who aimed to oust Meyer as lead negotiator - Jack Flaherty, Lucas Giolito and Ian Happ - were voted off the executive subcommittee.

The union announced in 2022 - when Clark earned $2.2 million - that Clark's contract had been extended through 2027. 

His resignation comes before the highly-anticipated - or dreaded - showdown between the union and MLB upon the current CBA's expiration on Dec. 1. In 2021, commissioner Rob Manfred locked the players out in the midst of the off-season transaction frenzy, freezing all business as CBA negotiations lurched on. 

The sides finally came to an accord in early March, leaving just enough time for a 162-game schedule to proceed. MLB has not missed games due to a labor dispute since the 1994 strike and subsequent impasse cancelled the World Series. 

Now, one of the central figures to the next negotiation will sit this one out. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tony Clark resigns: MLBPA boss steps down before new CBA fight