Clark’s abrupt resignation as MLBPA Executive Director could threaten the sport’s momentum amid salary cap battles, payroll disparities, and even a potential lockout.
Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark is reportedly resigning, multiple reports said Tuesday morning, an unexpected bombshell as the players' union gets set to begin negotiations with MLB owners that will determine the future of the sport.
Clark, who's led the union since 2013, has been in an ongoing legal battle in the Eastern District of New York alleging he and MLBPA officials illegally enriched themselves as co-founders of OneTeam Partners, a joint venture among multiple players unions that wisely joined forces to enhance player leverage in name, image, and likeness deals for licensing, content, and sponsorship initiatives. The 53-year-old was reportedly expected to begin his annual tour of Spring Training team sites on Tuesday, a vital initiative to hear from every player on the issues most important to them going into the new season. That tour is even more vital this year, as owners get ready to push for a salary cap harder than they have since the players went on strike in 1994 in opposition to the measure, ultimately leading to the cancellation of the World Series for the first time ever.
"We still need to discuss with players why," New York Mets infielder Marcus Semien, one of the eight members of the MLBPA's executive subcommittee, toldThe Athletic regarding Clark's resignation, which he apparently did not see coming. "You definitely don’t want things to be a distraction going into December.”
The union is expected to name an interim executive director who will team with longtime deputy and litigator Bruce Meyer to negotiate the next CBA on the players' behalf. The current MLB CBA expires on Dec. 1, and owners are expected to lock out players as they seek to curtail spending by teams like the Mets and the two-time defending World Series championLos Angeles Dodgers. My first 2026 sports business prediction was that there will be an MLB lockout, and both owners and players appear dug in and resolute on not ceding any ground on this issue.
As players reported to Spring Training last week, some of the biggest names in the game have publicly come out in support of the sport's biggest spenders, even if it comes at the expense of their own teams.
“I love what the Dodgers do, obviously,” Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper told reporters over the weekend. “They pay the money, they spend the money. They run their team like a business, and they run it the right way. They understand where they need to put their money into.”
Payroll disparities have only grown over the last few years, with the Miami Marlins spending just $20 million on four free agents the entire offseason.
“Every team has the ability to do it," San Diego Padres All-Star Manny Machado told reporters about the Dodgers' spending, "so I hope all 30 teams could learn from that.”
Bryce Harper: “I love what the Dodgers do, obviously.”
— OnPattison (@OnPattison) February 15, 2026
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/t7SNXrdFAC
Owners contend that creating a cap over time will limit the advantage teams like the Dodgers, Mets,New York Yankees, and Toronto Blue Jays currently wield, while a floor would force teams like the Marlins, Athletics, and Cleveland Guardians to increase spending and parity. The players' union, led by Clark until this week, vehemently disagrees with the idea that a salary cap enhances competitive balance.
"We don’t believe salary caps are good for players or are good for the game,” Clark told me in July. “We believe salary caps are actually anti-competition.”
While other issues on the table include an international draft, revenue sharing from an expanded playoff round, the qualifying offer, and other rules, the salary cap is the sticking point that has the baseball world on edge. These negotiations and the risk of a potential lockout could completely halt the momentum MLB has generated over the last few years. Rules changes have sped up the game, leading to improved attendance and television ratings, including a Dodgers-Blue Jays World Series Game 7 that was the most-watched baseball game since 1992.
An MLB work stoppage in 2027 is a distinct possibility as both sides dig in for a contentious nine months of negotiations. Now, one side's leader just left as it begins its most pivotal period in decades. How the MLBPA responds to, and pivots from, Clark's shocking departure could determine baseball's short- and long-term future.
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