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So there have been some, uhhhh, developments in the MLBPA story: Bruce Meyer is taking the reins. Plus: We dedicate some time to a spring training staple (aka, the aging veterans just trying to hang in there). I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup!
Changes: Latest on MLBPA shakeup
“There’s definitely more to come. We’ll keep you posted.”
Little did I know.
It’s never a good sign when the sport’s biggest story has nothing to do with the product on the field. But while PFPs and live batting practices continue, everyone is pretty focused on this Tony Clark story. Who knew everyone cared so much about labor issues?
Or, maybe, the interest was in the more salacious details of Clark’s departure. Yes, the federal investigation was a factor, as we previously suggested. But, as reported by Ken, Evan Drellich and Andy McCullough, it directly led to another revelation: an inappropriate relationship “between Clark and (a) union employee, his sister-in-law, who has been employed by the MLBPA since 2023.”
Oh.
With a major labor negotiation coming up, emergency meetings were called. By Wednesday afternoon, Bruce Meyer was unanimously elected to lead the union. It’s technically an interim position, but Meyer is expected to remain at the helm through the CBA negotiations (the current CBA expires in December).
The vote was unanimous, but timing may have played a part in that. Making the decision now ensures that the shakeup doesn’t become more of a distraction from the task at hand. Meyer does have experience in these things; he — not Clark — led the last round of negotiations, when the league locked players out before the 2022 season.
For more on Meyer, let’s throw it to Ken.
Ken’s Notebook: Who is Bruce Meyer?
From my latest column:
Some people don’t like Bruce Meyer.
As a labor lawyer, Meyer might consider that a badge of honor. Part of the job is getting demonized by the other side. But Meyer’s problem, before getting elected unanimously Wednesday as interim executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, was that some of his own people didn’t like him, either.
Players. Agents. Even some within the union, according to people briefed on the association’s dynamics.
Now, Meyer must rally not just his supporters but his opponents, the players and others who tried to oust him in March 2024, and all those who, in the wake of Clark’s shocking resignation, mulled the possibility of someone else running the union.
Depending upon the outcome of the upcoming CBA negotiations, that possibility still might come to pass, with the players conducting a thorough search for a permanent executive director. But Meyer passed his first test Wednesday. Orioles RHP Chris Bassitt, a member of the union’s eight-player subcommittee, lauded Meyer and union general counsel Matt Nussbaum for their support during the federal investigation into Clark’s handling of union finances. The union elevated Nussbaum in conjunction with Meyer, naming him interim deputy executive director.
“One of the beautiful things about this entire process and this investigation is that we found out who really had our backs through this whole thing,” Bassitt said. “At the forefront of having our backs through this whole process and trying to do the right thing was Bruce and Matt.”
Now comes the next challenge, entering perhaps the most critical bargaining year in the union’s history — fighting off MLB’s latest quest for a salary cap. The owners, who are expected to lock out the players when the current CBA expires on Dec. 1, seem hellbent on getting a cap even if it means cancelling games in 2027.
To succeed in holding the union together, Meyer must do something that does not necessarily come naturally for him: He must lead in a grander way than he has before.
Clark had many faults, but perhaps his biggest strength was his feel for players, and his ability to communicate with them as a former player himself. He wasn’t especially charismatic, but he was more charismatic than Meyer, who can be humorless and combative. And now, Meyer will be the union’s front-facing representative, in addition to its top negotiator.
Jargon: Let’s talk opt-out dates
Every year as Opening Day approaches, you’ll hear about players with opt-out dates — if they’re not added to their team’s 26-man roster. What you might not know is that those dates aren’t on a team-by-team basis; they’re part of the CBA.
If you want the full legalese description, click here, and run a search for: “Unconditional Release Rights for Article XX(B) Free Agents Who Sign Minor League Contracts.” But here’s a simpler explanation:
- Only free agents who have earned six years of service time qualify as an Article XX(B) free agent. If a player was non-tendered during his arbitration years, or otherwise released before reaching six years of service time, these restrictions don’t apply.
Wait, so all of these guys are “Article XX(B)” free agents? Yep. But we never use the term, mostly because, well, why would we ever do that?
When an “AXX(B)FA” (it rolls right off the keyboard) signs a minor-league deal — assuming that deal is signed after the World Series, but at least 10 days before Opening Day — he has three opportunities to force that team to either add him to the active big-league roster or release him:
- Four days before Opening Day
- May 1
- June 1
The catch: By that point, the player is no longer in the “10 days before Opening Day” window. So you can really only do it once (per year).
So later this spring, when you hear about a veteran on a minor-league deal having an “opt-out date” approaching … now you know!
On that note …
Another One: Checking in on the journeymen
About once a year, I like to check the “most franchises played for” list to see if anyone is creeping up. That once a year usually corresponds with Rich Hill signing a contract. Last year, he tied the record (14 teams) by pitching nine innings for the Royals.
Assuming Hill (who turns 46 in March) doesn’t come back for a 15th team in 2026, here are the active leaders in “teams played for,” and where they are right now.
Jose Ureña, 11 teams: In 2025, Ureña jumped from six teams to 11, bouncing around the league with the Mets, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Twins and Angels. He is currently a free agent.
Tommy Pham, 10 teams: For once, Pham didn’t get traded to a contender at last year’s deadline, playing the entire season in Pittsburgh. He’s also still a free agent.
Shelby Miller, 10 teams: Miller signed a two-year minor-league deal with the Cubs, but is expected to miss the 2026 season recovering from UCL surgery. If he makes it to Wrigley, he won’t add to this total — he pitched two innings for the Cubs in 2021.
Jacob Barnes, nine teams: Barnes did technically pitch in the big leagues in 2025, but barely. He pitched eight innings for the Blue Jays. He’s still a free agent.
Craig Kimbrel, nine teams: Like Barnes, the 37-year-old Kimbrel also barely pitched in the big leagues last season. He got 12 innings (one in Atlanta and 11 in Houston), and is one of those “AXX(B)FA” guys; he’s in camp with the Mets.
Honorable mention to Kevin Pillar (10 teams) and Jesse Chavez (nine), both of whom officially retired.
Handshakes and High Fives
In previous World Baseball Classics, the USA had stacked lineups, and “B-team” pitchers. Not this year. Here’s how it got the league’s best arms on board.
Speaking of … 20 years ago, Ken Griffey Jr. was a member of Team USA in the first-ever WBC. This year, he’s back, trading his bat for a camera.
Zack Meisel has the emotional story of Guardians prospect Daniel Espino and his painful path to the big leagues.
No more roster subtractions, said the Twins. Then Pablo López suffered a first-day injury that is likely to end his season.
Jim Bowden has a list of 20 rookies he expects to make an impact this year.
The trial of Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz could be moved back to October, leaving questions as to whether the Guardians are on the hook for their 2026 salaries.
On the pods: Rates and Barrels have a couple episodes: Here’s the one on Tony Clark, plus season previews for the Orioles, Brewers and Rockies. And here are the season previews for the Rangers, Nationals and White Sox.
Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Part one of Stark’s exec poll.
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