Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and right-handed starter Luis Ortiz have been indicted on charges stemming from alleged gambling misconduct — specifically manipulating bets on individual pitches, ESPN reports. Ortiz has already been arrested in Boston, while Clase is not in custody. The Department of Justice has charged the pair with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy.
Clase’s alleged actions date back to May of 2023, while Oritz’s began in June of 2025. Furthermore, Clase’s actions are alleged to have benefitted bettors by a sum of $700,000, while Ortiz’s accrued to the benefit of co-conspiring gamblers by a sum of $60,000.
The pair could face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
Clase, 27, was one of two Guardians pitchers placed on administrative leave over the summer while the league investigated potential misdoing. Right-handed starter Luis L. Ortiz was also placed on leave several weeks earlier. Both Clase and Ortiz had their leaves extended in late August through the rest of the 2025 regular season.
“MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process,” the league said in a statement to ESPN. “We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing.”
According to the Department of Justice, both pitchers “agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types of pitches and speeds of pitches.” Said co-conspirators then allegedly used that inside information to place bets.
“In some instances, the defendants received bribes and kickback payments … in exchange for rigging pitches,” prosecutors said.
Specifically, prosecutors allege that Ortiz was paid $5,000 for intentionally throwing a ball on June 15 and Clase $5,000 for serving as intermediary according to documents obtained by ESPN. They pair repeated the scheme on June 27, prosecutors said, for payments of $7,000 apiece.
Clase, who did not pitch after July 26, appeared in 48 games prior to the deactivation. He had amassed a 3.23 ERA (130 ERA+) and a 3.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His contributions had been worth an estimated 0.7 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference’s calculations.
In Ortiz’s case, MLB’s investigation stemmed from a betting-integrity firm flagging two particular pitches that were subject to increased bets on a particular outcome, which was then achieved. The specifics of Clase’s case have not been made public.
The indictment comes just weeks after Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested as part of an NBA betting scandal. Rozier and his co-conspirators allegedly obtained insider information about games, including which players were healthy and active, and passed it along to bettors. More than $200,000 in bets were placed on Rozier’s “under” line across multiple prop bets during a March 23, 2023, game in which he left after playing less than 10 minutes. Damon Jones, a former NBA player, was also indicted and accused of passing along inside information, including about LeBron James.
While sports gambling has been legalized across the country, MLB (and other leagues) have rules that prohibit certain behavior. MLB, for example, does not allow players to gamble on diamond sports, even of other teams. In 2024, MLB banned former San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for life and suspended four other players — Athletics righty Michael Kelly, Padres lefty Jay Groome, Philadelphia Phillies infielder José Rodriguez, and Arizona Diamondbacks lefty Andrew Saalfrank — after they were discovered to have bet on baseball games not involving their teams.
Back in May, commissioner Rob Manfred reinstated several of the most notorious gambling-related rule violaters in league history — Pete Rose and several members of the 1919 Black Sox — from MLB’s permanently ineligible list on the grounds that the lifetime bans ended with the player’s death.
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