Guardians' Emmanuel Clase gambling stunner could ruin trade deadline, team's future

Last month, Cleveland starting pitcher Luis Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of MLB's sports-betting investigation in a move that shocked the Guardians to their core. 

On Monday things got even worse, as MLB announced that All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase was joining Ortiz on paid leave as a part of the investigation.

Guardians' Emmanuel Clase gambling stunner could ruin trade deadline, team's future

It can't be overstated how much Clase's suspension impacts the Guardians. Not only is Clase a two-time All-Star who is in the midst of another strong season at the back of the team's bullpen, but he was also one of their biggest trade chips in what could be a busy deadline.

He entered play on Monday with a 3.32 ERA and 24 saves in 47 1/3 innings this year after a rough April. The suspension will go until Aug. 31, which is the same length as Ortiz's.

The Guardians put out a statement that read:

"The Guardians have been notified by Major League Baseball that as part of their sports betting investigation Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave per an agreement with the Players Association.  We have been informed that no additional players or Club personnel are expected to be impacted. The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league’s confidential investigative process as we continue to fully cooperate."

Clase, 27, has become a mainstay in Cleveland since the team acquired him from the Texas Rangers after the 2019 season in exchange for Corey Kluber. He missed all of the truncated 2020 season after testing positive for PEDs, but claimed the Guardians' closer spot mid-way through the 2021 season and hasn't looked back since. Clase has a 1.88 ERA across 360 career innings, and became the team's all-time saves leader last August.

He had a sluggish start to the year (6.75 ERA in March/April), but has posted a 1.91 RA in 33 innings since.

But, as mentioned above, he also held some potential value to the team as a trade deadline piece thanks to the five-year, $20 million deal he signed with the Guardians ahead of the 2022 season.

While it wasn't a lock that he would get traded, there were plenty of avenues the team could have gone with him and his contract, especially since this year's trade market doesn't feature a lot of pure sellers. But all of that is a thing of the past thanks to Clase's suspension, as he'll be ineligible to return from his suspension until September — if at all.

Last year, five MLB players were suspended for betting on baseball. Four of those players (Michael Kelly, Jay Groome, José Rodríguez and Andrew Saalfrank) were suspended for a year, while Tucupita Marcano was placed on the permanently ineligible list.

The four players who were suspended a year bet on games they weren't involved in, while Marcano bet on Pirates games while he was playing for the club.

It's unknown how Clase's suspension relates to Ortiz's. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan and David Purdum, Ortiz's suspension originated after betting-integrity firm flagged two of Ortiz's pitches that had unusual betting activity.

On the field, Cade Smith is likely the first option to take over the hole left by Clase in the bullpen. Smith, who was the subject of trade rumors himself, has a 3.02 ERA in 44 2/3 innings this year, and was viewed by some as the closer of the future if the team traded Clase.

He's now going to be the closer of the present in a way that nobody expected.

It remains to be seen how this will impact the Guardians' approach for the rest of the trade deadline. They worked their way back into the postseason picture with a hot start out of the All-Star Break, but still seemed destined to walk the line between buyer and seller. That may not longer be the case.

On Saturday, Clase came into Game 2 of the Guardians' doubleheader against the Royals and promtoly closed the door, offering another reminder of how domintant he can be when he's at his best.

It may be the last time we see him in a Guardians uniform for a long time.