Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz update suggests Guardians pitchers are as good as done

From the time that Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase were first placed under suspension as a part of MLB’s investigation into sports betting, it always seemed like we were in the midst of a long walk toward neither of them pitching in Major League Baseball again. 

On Sunday, that thinking was all but confirmed, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported both pitchers were indicted by prosecutors in Brooklyn related to a sports betting scheme. Ortiz was arrested in Boston; Clase isn’t in custody. 

Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz indicted by prosecutors in Brooklyn

The update is another sad chapter in Clase and Ortiz’s story. Ortiz was initially placed under suspension in July, while Clase’s suspension was added at the end of July right before the trade deadline. 

The suspensions were initially supposed to last until the end of August, but MLB announced at the time that the suspension was being extended until “further notice.” While MLB investigation is still ongoing, being indicted on charges to rig games is as much of a death knell as you can have. 

Both pitchers tried to pitch in LIDOM this winter, but the league vetoed their ability to do so.

In a follow up tweet, Passan said the 23-page indictment “laid out the scheme” where both pitchers would intentionally throw balls so bettors could wager on the outcome of the pitch. 

According to prosecutors, Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing a ball on June 15  and Clase was paid $5,000 for facilitating it. They did it again later in the month and both got $7,000.

Ortiz was making the league minimum ($760,000) in his second year of arbitration, while Clase was in the fourth year of a five-year, $20 million deal he signed prior to the 2022 season. 

Pablo Torre also provided screenshots of the indictment on Twitter, which provided a bit more context into the prosecutors findings. 

Clase began working with the alleged bettors in 2023, and he almost all of the alleged instances came on instances where he agreed to throw first pitch sliders that would be balls in the dirt that were slower than normal.

The first alleged instance came on May 19, 2023 against the Mets when the bettors waged that Clase’s first pitch of the 10th inning would be more than 94 miles per hour. He opened the inning with a 98 mph cutter. 

According to the documents, Clase allegedly won the bettors $400,000 and Ortiz allegedly won them $60,000. In one instance, the bettors wagered that Clase’s first pitch of the inning against the Dodgers on May 28, 2025 would be a ball, but Andy Pages swung at the pitch. 

After the game, one of the bettors allegedly sent Clase a gif a man hanging himself with toilet paper, and Clase responded with a gif of sad puppy dog face. 

Both pitchers are being charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy, for their alleged roles in a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown" and face up to 60 years in prison. 

The news comes on the heels of Chauncy Billups, Damon Jones and Terry Rozier being arrested as a part of a federal investigation into illegal NBA betting.