MLB Rumors: Dozens of Players Seek Removal of MLBPA's Bruce Meyer During Zoom Call

A group of MLB players lobbied Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark to replace deputy executive director Bruce Meyer during a Zoom call Monday night, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The Athletic's Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal provided more context.

"Many players and agents have long grumbled about union leadership, suspecting that agent Scott Boras has outsized influence, which Boras and union leadership have always denied," they reported. "But player agents have maintained those complaints for years, particularly in regard to the fortunes of baseball's middle class."

Passan reported that a majority of the players on the call advocated for Harry Marino to replace Meyer. Marino was a key figure in the collective bargaining for minor leaguers that led them to become officially unionized.

Drellich and Rosenthal reported that Meyer "accused Marino of coming for his job" during the call.

Clark didn't accede to the players' demand of ousting Meyer, with Passan reporting "the lack of a resolution frustrated some who had backed Marino." There wasn't universal sentiment behind installing Marino in Meyer's role, however, with some raising concerns over whether Marino has the experience necessary for such a prominent role.

For years, people following the league have pointed to the spending patterns of teams, a trend that seems to be going in the wrong direction from the player side. Now, things might be finally hitting a fever pitch within the MLBPA.

Teams are still willing to invest massive sums at the top end of the market. The Los Angeles Dodgers committed more than $1 billion combined to Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Last winter, nine players signed contracts worth more than $100 million.

But it's impossible to conclude the status quo is working when reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell doesn't sign until mid-March, and when he does, he reportedly gets just $62 million over two years. Two of Boras' other clients met the same fate as Cody Bellinger (three years, $80 million) and Matt Chapman (three years, $54 million) had to accept short-term deals when their markets were cooler than expected.

Passan also pointed to what happened to veteran infielder J.D. Davis, who was released by the San Francisco Giants and entitled to collect just one-sixth of the $6.9 million he had won in arbitration this season.

The current collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLBPA runs through 2026. It sounds like the players' union has a lot of work ahead internally to get on the same page before they pivot to what could be contentious negotiations with team owners.