Former Tiger Tony Clark Has Contract As Head Of MLBPA Extended Through 2022

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Tony Clark's contract as executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association was extended through 2022, a year past the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement with MLB.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 18: Tony Clark speaks during the MLB Welcome to Australia Press Conference at Sydney Cricket Ground on March 18, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

The former All-Star first baseman became executive director after previous union head Michael Weiner died in 2013, and Clark led negotiations for a labor contract covering 2017-21.

"As much as anything, the engagement of our guys, the interest that they have, both now and moving forward, being connected to that, supportive of that, and leading them through that is something that I'm grateful for the opportunity to do," Clark said Wednesday after the MLBPA finished its annual executive board meeting.

BALTIMORE - JULY 20: Tony Clark of the MLB Players Association talks to the local Boys and Girls Club of America and Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) programs to promote the "Let's Move" campaign at Camden Yards on July 20, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

This week's meeting was at the same North Texas resort hotel where Clark and the MLPBA met two years ago with management and reached a verbal agreement on the current labor contract. In August, the union made a key addition to its staff when it hired Bruce Meyer as senior director of collective bargaining and legal.

There were increased tensions between players and management when dozens of experienced free agents went unsigned into spring training this year — and some even much longer. Two weeks into spring training, about one-third of the 166 players who exercised free agency rights last November hadn't reached contract agreements.

LAKELAND, UNITED STATES: Detroit Tigers first baseman Tony Clark congratulates Tigers right fielder Gabe Kapler (R) who hit a home run off of Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Pete Schourek during the sixth inning of the spring training game at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, FL, 02 April, 1999. AFP PHOTO Tony RANZE (Photo credit should read TONY RANZE/AFP/Getty Images)

There are about 150 free agents right now early in this offseason.

Asked whether he felt things would be different this time, Clark said he is "cautiously optimistic" that they will.

"We have concerns that we had last year, particularly as they're related to competition on the field and how those manifest themselves into decisions related to rosters and individual players. Those concerns are still there," he said. "But we remain cautiously optimistic that a year later the interests of the individual clubs and the industry as a whole has teams making decisions with an eye on competition in the near term, and now three, four, five, six years down the road."

Clark said there have been a number of informal conversations with MLB and Commissioner Rob Manfred during the last few months trying to get an idea of what talks the sides are interested in having during the offseason.

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 22: Tony Clark (L) and Carlos Villanueva listen as Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig speaks at a news conference at MLB headquarters on November 22, 2011 in New York City. Selig announced a new five-year labor agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

"My expectations after the conversations that we had today is a lot of things that you've heard, whether from their side or our side, are going to be discussed," Clark said. "Then the question becomes whether common ground can be found against the interests they have and the interests we have. So different values may be placed on different pieces of that puzzle."

Pace of play has been an ongoing discussion for several years, and now there are also on-field items such as the drastic defensive shifts being used by some teams and the increased use of relievers on pitching staffs, including some in the role of "openers" to start games.

While not getting into specifics about where those issues could go, and how exactly they were discussed, Clark said the players have always had a passion for the game and remain committed to it.

DETROIT, UNITED STATES: Detroit Tigers Tony Clark reacts to striking out against the Kansas City Royals in the fifth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit 04 July 2001. Clark has been named to the American League All-Star team as a reserve. AFP Photo/Jeff KOWALSKY (Photo credit should read JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

"So any time you talk about the game and having to make changes, appreciating why the changes are being discussed while acknowledging that you're changing the game that the guys love and are passionate about, the conversations are personal," he said. "But the one thing that the guys have always known, and have always appreciated, is that when the game does well everybody tends to benefit."

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