The C.B.A. signed in 2016 drew few criticisms initially, but soon an uneasy consensus emerged: It had allowed the owners to tilt the balance in their favor. The fundamental aspects of the system were in place before Clark took over. But some changes, such as harder caps on international spending and stricter penalties for higher payrolls, were clear wins for owners.
“We were under the assumption that we weren’t giving up that much,” Mets outfielder Michael Conforto said. “We didn’t realize that there were ways around the things that we put in to protect ourselves.”
Some players have said the union might not have properly anticipated what was to come. While Clark rejects the notion that the union was more concerned about quality-of-life issues, such as travel and clubhouse food, than the larger issues in the system, he admitted he was not prepared for the rapid changes in the labor landscape.
“I didn’t see this. Didn’t see these changes,” Clark said, noting the agreement “didn’t move very much.” He added, “Even others have acknowledged that the changes have been vast and quick from the standpoint of all 30 clubs.”
As his second chance approaches, Clark has taken measures to galvanize players and strengthen relationships with agents. The union has built a formal analytics department, introduced a smartphone app for players and overhauled its communications staff. Bruce Meyer, an experienced lawyer who worked closely with the former union chief, Donald Fehr, at the N.H.L., was hired to be the chief negotiator. Clark estimated that the union had undergone more staff changes in the past few years than at any point in its previous five decades.
Clark has spent much of the last year meeting with and talking to agents and players around the country. He conducted several spring training meetings, holding them outside of the clubhouses to minimize the risk of spying by management.
“I didn’t do a good enough job preparing players in ’16 for any eventuality,” Clark said, referring to a range of options that include, yes, going on strike.