MLBPA chose their fighter for the upcoming labor battle over a new CBA with the owners, and it was executive director Tony Clark. Clark had been head of the union since 2013, but resigned in the wake of the Eastern District of New York’s investigation into alleged financial improprieties at the union. Staring down the barrel at a public embarrassment under his watch, Clark instead took the side door. But that could have a dreadful impact on CBA negotiations and a looming MLB lockout.
Whatever momentum the player had gained this winter – both in the court of public opinion and in small victories in free agency and arbitration – could be lost without Clark's experience. Clark helped negotiate the 2021 CBA, in which the sport was shut down by 99 days. With even more violent rhetoric to come at the end of 2026, MLBPA must find a new voice that corresponds with their values. If not, they risk falling for owners' old tricks, including a possible salary cap.
Will Tony Clark's resignation cause an MLB lockout?
Clark and MLBPA had been steadfast in their disagreement with small-market owners over baseball's financial model. It's important to remember that it's the owners, rather than the players, who are expected to break the CBA and lock out the sport. Without Clark around, the players lost their messenger. The reaction around MLB, per FanSided's Robert Murray, was utterly shocking.
"(It was) pure shock. I was on the phone with an agent and told him the news and he was stunned and asked if I was sure. I said yes and he let out a 'Holy s***.' Then texts from others across the league poured in ranging from 'Omg' to 'WTF' to 'Wow.' Clark has been subject to the Eastern District of New York’s investigation into alleged financial improprieties at the union. And now it leaves the union without a leader headed into a bargaining year as a lockout appears inevitable," Murray wrote.
Clark's resignation could play out one of two ways in the court of labor negotiations. First, if Clark and the MLBPA were indeed up to no good as the Eastern District of New York’s investigation could suggest, it stains his tenure and perhaps the players' stance on financial matters heading into next December. To this reality, the players could either dig in, or whimper in the face of public pressure.
MLB owners will lock out the players in December barring an unprecedented change in opinion. That was always going to happen, no matter if Clark resigned from the MLBPA or not. Without him, though, the players lose their most consistent and coherent voice.
Owners are the big winners as MLBPA lacks leadership
There's always a chance that the new MLBPA leader offers even less to work with than Clark did, but the players were never going to budge on a possible salary cap. While Steve Cohen of the Mets and Mark Walter of the Dodgers are perfectly fine out-spending the rest of their contemporaries each and every winter, a salary cap would be welcomed by most small-market chairmen.
But the owners can work on a cap number – of whether they want one at all – on their own time. The richest owners in MLB unsurprisingly have the biggest voices on this matter. Without Clark in the fold, the owners now run the negotiating table as it pertains to a cap, television revenue and any other issues they hope to resolve in this next round of negotiations.
Clark and MLBPA had been scheduled to meet with the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday, which speaks to another advantage the owners now have – messaging. Clark and the players were portraying a united front, with even longtime rivals like Manny Machado and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreeing on strenuous issues. Without Clark, that mutual agreement could dissolve.
Remember: There are only 30 owners. It's far easier for them to get on the same page than it is hundreds of players represented by the union.
Who should replace Tony Clark? Why not Scott Boras
There's a good chance MLBPA already has someone in mind to replace Clark, or a second in command who could take over for the time being. But as it pertains to the negotiating table, there is only one man who can save the players from themselves and a handful of greedy owners. That is Scott Boras.
I'm aware Boras is a controversial figure to most MLB fans, but he is beloved by his players because he usually gets them what he wants. Look no further than Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. In a record-breaking arbitration case, Boras got his client an unprecedented $32 million on the back of a CBA rule. Boras is best known as a super-agent of sorts, but he knows the CBA front and back.
Boras was already serving as an advisor of sorts for the players in CBA negotiations. DO not be surprised if he plays an ever bigger role without Clark around.