The Major League Baseball Players Association has announced that Bruce Meyer has been unanimously elected the interim executive director of the union. Previously the deputy director, Meyer will take over for Tony Clark, who surprisingly resigned yesterday as news emerged that he had an “inappropriate” relationship with his sister-in-law, who was working for the MLBPA. Matt Nussbaum is now the interim deputy director. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Meyer’s election prior to the official announcement.
Meyer will continue to act as the MLBPA’s chief negotiator through the upcoming collective bargaining agreement talks, with the current CBA set to expire December 1st. Another lockout is widely expected and the last one dragged into March, so it seems Meyer is positioned to potentially lead the union for a year or more, despite the interim tag.
Ever since the Clark scandal emerged yesterday, it seemed likely that the union would pivot to Meyer. He has been the MLBPA’s clear #2 and top negotiator for years. With the season about to begin and the big CBA deadline less than a year away, maintaining stability seemed like an easier path than undergoing a lengthy search for a replacement. Left-hander Brent Suter, a member of the union’s eight-player executive subcommittee, framed it that way yesterday. “We’re going to have an interim [director] and keep everything as stable as we can this year,” Suter said.
More to come.
