Yankees' Austin Wells, Guardians' Steven Kwan voice warnings after Tony Clark's MLBPA resignation

It was learned on Wednesday evening that the Major League Baseball Players Association had elected Bruce Meyer as its new executive director following Tony Clark's shocking resignation. 

Shortly before, Meyer warned that a lockout "is all but guaranteed" once the collective bargaining agreement between team owners and the union expires on Dec. 1, 2026. 

Fair or not, the perception exists that owners may smell figurative blood in the water coming off Clark’s resignation as it pertains to getting what they want in upcoming negotiations. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, New York Yankees catcher and union player rep Austin Wells addressed such takes. 

MLBPA as strong as ever after Tony Clark's resignation? 

"We’re just as strong as we were Friday versus today," Wells insisted, per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. "I think we have a lot of confidence in our executive subcommittee, who did a great job handling all this." 

A report from last week revealed that MLB team owners "are ready to burn the [expletive] house down" and jeopardize the entire 2027 season if the MLBPA doesn't accept a "hard" salary cap similar to the one used by the NHL. Meyer is among those associated with the union who have insisted that "salary caps in the other sports have not led to competitive balance." 

Meanwhile, Wells said on Wednesday that players "don’t want" a lockout. 

"We hope that we can get a deal done and have a normal season next year," Wells added, "but we’re prepared to do what we have to." 

Steven Kwan sends message to owners about Tony Clark's resignation

Before Meyer was elected as what The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal referred to as the interim MLBPA executive director, Cleveland Guardians outfielder and player rep Steven Kwan urged other players to "get on the same page" for the choosing of Clark's replacement. 

"It’s tough what happened to Tony, but the union has never been defined by one person. It's us as a whole," Kwan said, per Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

In short, it sounds like Clark's ouster has changed little regarding the players' resolve to fight for what they want through and beyond the upcoming season.