The Major League Baseball Players Association elected Bruce Meyer as its new executive director Wednesday, sources told ESPN, replacing Tony Clark the day after he resigned amid scandal less than a year before the expiration of MLB’s collective bargaining agreement.
Meyer’s election by the 72 players on the union executive board is in an interim capacity, sources said.
Meyer, previously the union’s deputy executive director, ascended to the top spot at a crucial moment for the MLBPA. With owners pushing for a salary cap and prepared to lock out the players Dec. 1 should they not reach a new deal, players are bracing for an extended work stoppage as they attempt to stave off the league’s efforts.
Hired in 2018 after a much-criticized labor deal negotiated the year before, Meyer served as the lead negotiator for the union during the COVID pandemic and helped broker the 2022 labor deal that followed a 99-day lockout. Meyer will remain in charge of collective bargaining negotiations for the union.
A longtime lawyer who previously worked for the NHL, NBA and NFL, Meyer becomes the MLBPA’s sixth executive director.
Clark resigned Tuesday following an internal investigation that revealed an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, whom the union had hired in 2023. A federal investigation into the MLBPA concerning questions about its finances and governance prompted the union to hire an independent lawyer, whose inquiry exposed the inappropriate relationship.
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