Tony Clark, the executive director of the MLBPA, is expected to step down ahead of the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.
Sources told The Athletic, ESPN and the New York Post about the move on Tuesday. Clark, 53, assumed the position in 2013. The union’s CBA with MLB is to expire Dec. 1, with a lengthy labor dispute expected.
MLBPA officials did not immediately respond when asked about Clark’s resignation.
Clark’s departure also is set to occur amid the Eastern District of New York’s investigation into Clark for allegations tied to misuse of licensing money and abuse of power with the union.
“We understand that there’s an investigation,” Clark said in July, according to The Athletic. “That investigation is ongoing. We have been and will continue to be fully cooperative as a result.”
New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien, a member of the MLBPA’s player executive committee, told reporters Tuesday that Clark’s potential departure was “not overly surprising.”
“This happening during the investigation is not like overly surprising,” Semien said, according to SNY. “But it still hurts. It’s still something I’m processing. I just want our player group to move forward this year and be able to have a good year of negotiating with leadership that cares about what players want.”
Clark, the first former player to become the MLBPA’s executive director, was to participate in a preseason tour of spring training camps, but his planned stop Tuesday in Goodyear, Ariz., was canceled.
“This came out with no discussion with the reps,” Semien said. “We have 30 other team reps that are seeing this news. It’s hard to process right now. There will be a lot more conversations about what we do moving forward in a year where we have a CBA that expires in December.
“What I do know is, the team we have, the chief staff of the MLBPA is the best in sports,” Semien said. “So, we’ll be able to adjust from there. But as we approach spring training and the spring tour, from the union, lawyers and everybody who comes and visits, this is tough news.”
UPI Pictures of the Year 2025: Winning moments in Sports
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (C) celebrates with teammates after the Dodgers defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings in Game 7 to win the World Series in Toronto on November 1, 2025. Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo
