A pair of execs were dismissed by the MLBPA following an international investigation amid a federal probe into the union. MLBPA COO Xavier James and CHRO Michael O’Neill were fired with cause, ESPN reported. The dismissals followed an internal investigation, the report said. SBJ confirmed that James and O’Neill are no longer with the MLBPA. The union declined comment.
Former MLBer Chris Capuano, who has been with the union since 2019, will replace James as interim COO, with Ian Penny, formerly the senior advisor to the Exec Dir, moving into the interim CHRO role.
The reported dismissals come two months after Exec Dir Tony Clark’s sudden resignation in February, with the DOJ looking into alleged financial improprieties. That probe remains ongoing. A whistleblower complaint accused Clark of self-dealing, misuse of union resources, abuse of power and nepotism. In March, the union shuttered youth-baseball initiative, Players Way. Deputy Bruce Meyer has since been elevated to interim Exec Dir.
James was the sixth-highest paid MLBPA employee last year, earning nearly $728,000, according to federal filings. Meanwhile, O’Neill made just over $327,000. James, a former executive at HBO and MasterCard, joined the MLBPA in 2018 as deputy COO and was promoted in 2019. He also spent 10 years as CEO for Gary Sheffield Management & Entertainment Group. O’Neill came to the MLBPA in 2020 and had previously spent 12 years at Guggenheim Partners as Senior Managing Director of Human Resources & Operations.
