No. 2 Baseball Union Official Bruce Meyer Shaken by Clark's Resignation

Meyer says leadership change won't alter bargaining preparations ahead of labor talks with MLB

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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The No. 2 official of the baseball players' association, Bruce Meyer, was shaken by the events that led to the resignation of union head Tony Clark. Meyer said the change in leadership will not alter bargaining preparations ahead of talks in which Major League Baseball is expected to push for a salary cap.

Why it matters

The resignation of Tony Clark, who has led the players' union since 2013, comes just months before the expected start of bargaining for a new labor contract. This leadership change could have significant implications for the upcoming negotiations, which are expected to be contentious as MLB pushes for a salary cap.

The details

An investigation by the union's outside counsel discovered evidence that Clark had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, a union employee since 2023. The union's eight-man executive subcommittee asked Clark to resign, and he did so on Tuesday. Meyer, who was promoted to deputy executive director in 2022, said he expects to lead the negotiations and that the union's priorities have not changed despite the leadership transition.

  • The information that led to Clark's resignation came out within the last 72 hours.
  • Clark resigned on Tuesday, just months ahead of the expected start of bargaining for a new labor contract.
  • The union's executive board was to meet online for the second straight day on Wednesday to decide on a successor to lead the union through collective bargaining.

The players

Bruce Meyer

The No. 2 official of the baseball players' association, who was shaken by the events that led to the resignation of union head Tony Clark. Meyer was promoted to deputy executive director in 2022 and expects to lead the upcoming labor negotiations.

Tony Clark

The former All-Star first baseman who headed the players' union since 2013. He was asked to resign by the union's eight-man executive subcommittee after an investigation discovered evidence of an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, a union employee since 2023.

John Schreiber

The Royals player representative, who said he expects a decision late Wednesday on a successor to lead the union through collective bargaining.

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What they’re saying

“Just on a personal level I think we're all fairly devasted by things that have happened in the last 48, 72 hours. I'm not going to go beyond that in terms of personal feelings, but it's fair to say that we were all personally upset, concerned about Tony.”

— Bruce Meyer, Deputy Executive Director, Baseball Players' Association

“We'll see how the meeting goes today. We're going on the right path and we'll have a decision shortly.”

— John Schreiber, Royals Player Representative

What’s next

The union's executive board was to meet online for the second straight day on Wednesday to decide on a successor to lead the union through collective bargaining.

The takeaway

The resignation of Tony Clark as head of the baseball players' union comes at a critical time, just months before the expected start of labor negotiations with MLB. While the leadership change may be disruptive in the short term, the union's priorities and bargaining positions are expected to remain unchanged, with Bruce Meyer likely to take the lead in the upcoming talks.