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Tony Clark, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), was supposed to be at the forefront of an intense labor battle this offseason with MLB. Instead, he reportedly is expected to resign.
Clark’s reported resignation comes as he and the union are under federal investigation by the Eastern District of New York for alleged financial improprieties. The 53-year-old was being investigated regarding the use of licensing money or equity to enrich themselves, according to multiple reports.
Fox News 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, & 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 embark on their annual tour of spring training camps on Tuesday, beginning with the Cleveland Guardians, according to The Athletic. However, in the wake of the report, the meeting was canceled.
Clark’s expected resignation occurs just months away from CBA negotiations between the MLB and 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 attempt to reach an agreement to salvage March 31 openers and a 162-game season at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, on March 1, 2022. (Greg Lovett/USA TODAY NETWORK)
The owners are widely expected to lock out the players at the beginning of the offseason and push hard for the implementation of a salary cap. If the owners do indeed go forth with a lockout, it would be the second consecutive time the owners have locked out the players at the expiration of the CBA.
In 2021, the sport was shut down for 99 days. Over the past four seasons, as spending from 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 implemented, making fans wonder if a lockout would threaten the entire 2027 season.
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Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark talks 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 staunchly opposed to a salary cap.
In 1994, the Union’s refusal to budge on the implementation of a cap caused the World Series to be canceled that season, as the players went on strike midseason.
The MLBPA has not yet named a replacement for Clark.
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