MLBPA shake-up continues as COO, human resources director fired

The shake-up within the MLB Players' Association continued Wednesday, April 15 with the firings of chief operating officer Xavier James and human resources head Michael O'Neill, according to a person familiar with the moves. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss personnel matters. James and O’Neill will be replaced by former Major League pitcher Chris Capuano and Ian Penny, respectively.

ESPN first reported James and O’Neill’s firings. Their dismissals with cause come two months after MLBPA executive director Tony Clark resigned in the wake of external investigations by the Department of Justice. Clark later was reported to have had a consensual relationship with a subordinate .

James, 58, was hired as deputy chief operating officer in 2018 and promoted to COO a year later. He'd previously worked as a lawyer for former All-Star Gary Sheffield's wife, a gospel singer. The MLBPA remains under federal investigation due to its role in a licensing company co-owned with the NFLPA and other sports unions.

The investigation widened in 2025 to include Players Way, a youth baseball charitable arm of the union that has been the subject of whistleblower complaints of waste, nepotism and, ESPN reported, excessive union spending on international and domestic trips for Clark and other union employees. Following Clark's resignation, chief negotiator Bruce Meyer was appointed interim executive director . The internal shake-ups and external investigations come at a crucial time for the union, which is soon set to commence negotiations with Major League Baseball on what's expected to be a contentious battle over a new collective bargaining agreement.