Tony Clark Reportedly Stepping Down as MLBPA Executive Director

We have a big change in Major League Baseball as players are just getting warmed up for the 2026 season. Tony Clark, the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), is expected to step down from his position, The Athletic reported on Tuesday morning. Clark, who was involved in the union as a player, had been with the MLBPA since 2010, one season after retiring from the sport. He was previously deputy executive director and acting executive director of the union before becoming the executive director of the MLBPA in December 2013. Clark leaving his position comes against the backdrop of the Eastern District of New York investigating the MLBPA for alleged financial improprieties, ESPN reported. The current MLB collective bargaining agreement ends on Dec. 1, 2026, with the potential for a lockout in the sport in 2027 as debate over whether MLB should implement a salary cap rages on. As a player, Clark, a 2001 All-Star, spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the Detroit Tigers (1995-2001), followed by stints with the Boston Red Sox (2002), New York Mets (2003), New York Yankees (2004), Arizona Diamondbacks (2005-09) and San Diego Padres (2008). Clark had 1,188 career hits and 251 home runs.