Tony Clark resigning as head of MLB players union

Tony Clark is resigning as head of the Major League Baseball Players Association, a person familiar with the union’s deliberations said Tuesday.

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Feb 17, 2026, 8:39 AM

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Manager Dusty Baker of the Houston Astros talks with former Major League Baseball player and executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association Tony Clark during batting practice prior to Game Two of the 2022 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on October 29, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tony Clark is resigning as head of the Major League Baseball Players Association, a person familiar with the union’s deliberations said Tuesday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because his decision, first reported by ESPN, had not been announced. The person said an announcement was likely later Tuesday.

Clark’s decision comes during an investigation by the U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn, New York, into One Team Partners, a licensing company founded by the union and the NFL Players Association.

The move was made ahead of an expected start of collective bargaining in April for an agreement to replace the five-year labor contract that expires Dec. 1. Management appears on track to propose a salary cap, which possibly could lead to a work stoppage that causes regular-season games to be canceled for the first time since 1985.

The union on Monday canceled Tuesday’s start of the staff’s annual tour of the 30 spring training camps.

Clark, 53, is a former All-Star first baseman who became the first player to head the Union. He played for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2005-09.

He last played in 2008 and was a member of the union staff when Michael Weiner was diagnosed with brain tumor.

He took over as union head when Weiner died in late 2013 and led players through negotiations that led to agreements in 2016 and 2022, the latter after a 99-day lockout.

Bruce Meyer, who was the lead negotiator under Clark in 2021-22, was promoted to deputy executive director in the summer of 2022 and is slated to again head negotiation.