In the spring, a group of players who took on leadership at the Major League Baseball Players Association faced a significant turn of events. Voting results announced on Wednesday revealed that these players are not returning to their previous positions on a prominent union committee. This development has set off a chain of changes within the union.

Unraveling the Changes in the MLBPA Union Committee

The Departures and Newcomers

Free agent Jack Flaherty, Lucas Giolito of the Boston Red Sox, and Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs have stepped away from the union's eight-player executive subcommittee. They were part of a group that, with the help of former MLBPA lawyer Harry Marino, pushed executive director Tony Clark to remove deputy director Bruce Meyer in a brief but intense mutiny.On the other hand, Chris Bassitt (Toronto Blue Jays), Jake Cronenworth (San Diego Padres), Pete Fairbanks (Tampa Bay Rays), Cedric Mullins (Baltimore Orioles), Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates), and Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers) have joined the group. These newcomers bring a fresh perspective and energy to the committee.Marcus Semien (Texas Rangers) and Brent Suter (Cincinnati Reds) are the only two holdovers from the previous subcommittee. Interestingly, Semien is the only one who was also a part of the 2021-22 lockout.

The Role and Importance of the Subcommittee

The subcommittee works closely with senior union staff and holds significant influence in major player decisions. Typically, when the union decides on matters like accepting a new collective bargaining agreement, 38 major leaguers have a say - the eight players on the subcommittee and 30 representatives from each individual team. The 30 player reps then vote on the eight subcommittee members.Players on a major-league roster as of Tuesday or who had been on one at the end of the 2024 season were eligible to be elected. Subcommittee terms last for two years. When the next election is due, a lockout could be on the horizon or already in progress. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires at midnight on December 2, 2026. (The last time the CBA expired, the subcommittee had been in place for a year.)

The Impact on Individual Players

Francisco Lindor (New York Mets), Lance McCullers Jr. (Houston Astros), and Austin Slater (Chicago White Sox) have also left the subcommittee. Agent Scott Boras has two players in the group, Semien and Skubal. In the past, rival agents have criticized the union for being too accommodating to Boras. During the 2021-22 lockout, five of Boras' clients were on the subcommittee, but union leadership has always denied any undue influence from him.Each role on the executive subcommittee comes with a specific title. Semien and Bassitt are Association reps. Cronenworth and Skenes are alternate Association reps. Suter and Fairbanks are pension reps, and Mullins and Skubal are pension alternates.These changes in the MLBPA union committee highlight the evolving nature of the players' association and the importance of these committees in shaping the future of the sport. As the CBA expiration date approaches, the dynamics within the union are likely to continue to shift and evolve.