By DAVID BRANDT
SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The second-in-command of the baseball players’ union was shocked by the events that led to the resignation of union boss Tony Clark and said the change in leadership will not alter negotiating preparations ahead of talks in which Major League Baseball is expected to push for a salary cap.
“On a personal level, I think we’re all pretty devastated by the things that have happened in the last 48, 72 hours. I’m not going to go beyond that as far as personal feelings, but it’s fair to say that we were all personally affected, concerned about Tony. But I think this was something that the players determined had to happen at this particular time,” Bruce Meyer, the guild’s deputy executive director, said Wednesday.
Clark, a former All-Star first baseman who has led the union since 2013, resigned Tuesday, just months before negotiating a collective bargaining agreement to replace the deal that expires Dec. 1.
A person familiar with the union’s deliberations told The Associated Press that the union’s eight-member executive subcommittee asked him to resign after an investigation by the union’s outside legal counsel uncovered evidence that Clark was having an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, a union employee since 2023. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because it was not announced.
“The information that really led to this came to light in the last… 72 hours or so. So it’s not something that was left out. When the information came out, the players on the subcommittee made it known what they felt. And Tony, to his credit, has always put the players first, he decided to take the action that he did in the interest of the players,” Meyer explained.
Clark did not respond to a text message seeking comment.
The start of union officials’ annual tour of spring training camps was delayed a day and began Wednesday with the Kansas City Royals.
The union’s executive board was scheduled to meet online for the second straight day, and Royals player representative John Schreiber said he expects a decision late Wednesday on a successor to lead the union during collective bargaining.
“We’ll see how the meeting goes today. We’re on the right track and we’ll have a decision shortly,” Schreiber said.
Meyer, hired by Clark in 2018, led the 2021-22 negotiations that led to a deal on March 10 and ended a 99-day lockout. Meyer was promoted to deputy CEO in July 2022.
“I don’t anticipate anyone leading the negotiations other than myself,” Meyer said.
Clark’s departure occurred during an investigation by the federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, New York, into OneTeam Partners, a licensing company founded by the union, the NFL Players Association and RedBird Capital Partners in 2019.
“There have been some outstanding issues, as you know, and in some ways it’s good to get them out of the way sooner rather than later,” Meyer said.
Meyer said the union’s entire executive board, made up of 72 players, is eligible to vote for the executive director: the executive subcommittee, 30 player representatives from major league teams and 34 minor league players, all of whom have been represented by the union since 2022.
MLB appears poised to propose a salary cap, which could possibly lead to a labor disruption that causes regular-season games to be canceled for the first time since 1995.
“We don’t expect anything to change in terms of negotiation. We have been preparing to negotiate for years. The players have been preparing. The players know what is coming. At the end of the day, leadership is important and leadership comes and goes, but what remains are the players. At the end of the day, it is the players who determine the direction of the union. At the end of the day, it is the players who determine our priorities and the negotiation. Those priorities, obviously, have not changed and will not change,” Meyer said.
The union said it will oppose a salary cap.
“Our position and the historical position of this union for decades on a salary cap is well known. It is the ultimate restriction. It is something that owners in all sports have wanted more than anything and, in baseball in particular, there is a reason for that: because it is good for them and it is not good for the players,” Meyer said.
Meyer, 64, spent 30 years at Weil, Gotshal & Manges before joining the NHL Players Association in 2016 as senior director of collective bargaining, policy and legal affairs. He would not say whether he wants to succeed Clark as head of the union.
Meyer did not directly address whether the union intends to restrict the hiring of family members.
“I think it’s fair to say that there are issues that will be addressed,” he said. “There are various issues that will be evaluated, re-evaluated with the advice of lawyers and, as always, under the direction of the players.”
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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
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