Paul Skenes, the National League Rookie of the Year, was elected to the players’ association’s eight-person executive subcommittee on Wednesday, just six months after making his big league debut. His election came as three players who had supported the removal of union deputy executive director Bruce Meyer were dropped from the committee.
Jack Flaherty, Ian Happ, and Lucas Giolito were removed, along with Francisco Lindor, Lance McCullers Jr., and Austin Slater.
Flaherty, Giolito, and Happ were among the players who, in March, pushed for Meyer’s removal as the union’s chief labor negotiator. However, their efforts, led by former union lawyer Harry Marino, were unsuccessful.
Union leader Tony Clark promised to keep discussions private this summer.
Joining the committee are American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from Detroit, Toronto pitcher Chris Bassitt, San Diego infielder Jake Cronenworth, Tampa Bay pitcher Pete Fairbanks, and Baltimore outfielder Cedric Mullins.
Texas infielder Marcus Semien and Cincinnati pitcher Brent Suter remain on the committee, with Semien being the only member still serving since the 2021-22 lockout.
The eight new members, all born in the U.S., were elected by representatives from the 30 MLB teams, according to the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Their two-year terms will last until the start of bargaining for a new labor contract to replace the current five-year deal that expires in December 2026.
Skenes, 22, made his MLB debut on May 11 and had an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 amateur draft from LSU and started the All-Star Game about two months after being promoted.
Semien is the longest-serving committee member, having been elected in December 2020. Suter joined in 2022.
Bassitt and Semien are association representatives, Cronenworth and Skenes are alternate association representatives, Fairbanks and Suter are pension committee representatives, and Mullins and Skubal are alternate pension committee representatives.
Baltimore pitcher Ryan Long, New York Yankees pitcher Adam Stone, and Athletics first baseman Danny Bautista Jr. were also elected to complete the final year of their two-year terms to represent players with minor league contracts. They join Chicago Cubs catcher William Simoneit, who was elected to a two-year term in November 2023.
Long and Simoneit are association representatives, while Bautista and Stone are alternate association representatives. Bautista’s father, Danny, was a big league outfielder from 1993-2004.
The union is holding its annual meetings this week in Scottsdale.
