MLB announces Guardians stars stuck in gambling purgatory as investigation continues

At the end of July, the fabric of the Cleveland Guardians was rocked when Major League Baseball announced that closer Emmanuel Clase was joining starter Luis Ortiz in a league investigation into sports betting. 

We got a little more clarity into the future of both players on Sunday, as Major League Baseball announced that both player’s suspensions were being extended "until further notice.” 

While that extension doesn’t provide any clarity about how things will look for them after the season, it all but confirms they won’t return for the rest of the year, which admittedly felt like a forgone conclusion. 

MLB announces Guardians stars stuck in gambling purgatory as investigation continues 

From the moment both player’s suspension was announced, it seemed like this was tracking to be something that would be handled after the season ended. 

While MLB made a definitive decision on last year’s gambling scandal during the season, this situation is a bit different considering the names involved. 

Clase is a three-time All-Star who is one of the best relievers in baseball, but it looks like he may have thrown his last pitch in baseball. The same can be said for Ortiz, who the Guardians acquired from the Pirates in the offseason and was beginning to find his groove prior to being suspended. 

Clase, who had a 3.23 ERA with 24 saves prior to being suspended, was also being floated in trade deadline rumors prior to being suspended, which creates a generational “what if” scenario. Had the Guardians traded Clase at the deadline, they likely could have gotten a king’s ransom in return. Even if they did a good job handling the trade deadline, trading Clase was looking more and more like a no-brainer. 

Although Ortiz had a 4.36 ERA in 88 2/3 innings, he had a 3.95 ERA in May and had gone 6+ in both his of last two starts before getting suspended. 

Even if MLB’s decision doesn’t provide any long-term clarity, it’s hard to imagine a world where they pitch for the Guardians again.

The Guardians have already begun to wipe both players away from the team (they cleared out both player’s lockers earlier this month), and no one on the team seems particularly interested in talking about them, which is understandable. 

Even if the loss of both players obviously hurts the team, the Guardians have done a good job picking up the pieces since. 

Cade Smith has picked up six saves since Clase was suspended, though he does have a 2.81 ERA with three blown saves, while Parker Messick has slid into Ortiz’s spot in the rotation after Joey Cantillo did okay in the time right after Ortiz’s suspension.