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Major League Baseball has shifted Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz to unpaid leave as the legal case tied to both Cleveland Guardians pitchers keeps moving through court. Decision came through an agreement between MLB and the MLBPA and changes the status both players had held since July.
Good to Know
MLB said Friday that Clase, 28, and Ortiz, 27, will stay away from the Cleveland Guardians while the legal process plays out, but now without pay. Both pitchers missed the second half of last season while on paid leave.
“As the legal proceedings involving Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz continue to move forward, MLB and the MLBPA have agreed that both players will remain on non-disciplinary leave from the Club without pay until further notice,” MLB said in a statement released Friday.
League wording also made clear that the agreement does not settle the case in any direction. “This agreement is not an admission of any wrongdoing by Clase or Ortiz,” read the statement. “MLB has been closely monitoring the matter since alerting federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and will have no further comment until its investigation has been completed.”
Federal prosecutors charged both pitchers in early November in a case tied to alleged pitch manipulation across multiple games. A February report from ESPN said Clase was accused of fixing at least 48 MLB games across two seasons, including postseason games. According to the allegations, the betting activity focused on microbetting markets, including pitch velocity and whether a pitch would be a strike.
Authorities also allege that both players accepted thousands of dollars in bribes tied to bets placed by two anonymous gamblers in the Dominican Republic. Those wagers reportedly produced nearly $500,000 in winnings.
Ortiz has tried to draw distance between his role and the claims against Clase. Through his attorney, he argued that his involvement was far smaller and that his case should be treated separately because of “markedly different levels of culpability.”
The filing added: “With 26 months of alleged criminal conduct by Mr. Clase – including suspect pitches during 48 games, dozens of communications with (a bettor), cash transfers and coordination of illegal wagers, (Ortiz could receive an unfair trial).”
For MLB, unpaid leave keeps both players off the field while the investigation remains open. For the Guardians, it leaves more uncertainty around two pitchers once seen as key arms in the club bullpen and staff mix.
MLB and the MLBPA agreed to keep both pitchers on non-disciplinary leave without pay while legal proceedings continue.
Yes. Both had been on paid leave since July and did not pitch in the second half of last season.
Both were charged with manipulating performances in multiple games as part of an alleged betting scheme tied to microbetting markets.
The allegations center on microbets involving details such as pitch velocity and whether a pitch would be a strike.
Trial is set for May 5, although a delay until fall is expected.