New update all but seals the fate of two suspended Guardians pitchers

While we haven’t had any official updates on the fates of suspended Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz since MLB announced they were suspended “until further notice” at the end of August, every day that goes by without an update seems to confirm their fates. 

We got another example of that on Monday when ESPN’s Enrique Rojas reported that LIDOM (the Dominican Professional Baseball League) announced that Clase and Ortiz won’t be able to pitch for Estrellas Orientale. 

As Rojas pointed out, MLB can’t make a decision about their winter ball availability, so it was a decision made by LIDOM.  

Although this doesn’t mean anything in terms of their MLB suspension, it’s not a great sign. Both players have spent part of the past month training with Estrellas Orientale in preparation for the season; now they’ll spend another season on the sideline after missing a good portion of the Guardians season with their major league suspensions.

Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase won’t pitch in LIDOM this winter 

Ortiz was first suspended at the beginning of July before Clase was added to the investigation (and subsequently suspended) at the end of the month. 

The Guardians managed to push past those suspensions and go on a wild run to win the American League Central, but the loss of both players can’t be overstated. Ortiz was one of the team’s key offseason acquisitions who seemed to be finding his footing prior to his suspension, while Clase is one of the sport’s best relievers. 

Clase also could have been a big trade chip at the deadline, which made his suspension sting even more. Instead of being able to adjust to a post-Clase life with a surplus of players and prospects in return, they were forced to shuffle the bullpen around in a way that wasn’t what they wanted. 

At Chris Antonetti's season-ending press conference, he said that the Guardians are operating as if neither pitcher will return to the team (they don’t have a say whether any of the players on their roster can or can’t play for a winter ball team). 

But just because the team has already moved on doesn’t mean their books have, as the Guardians are still on the hook for both player’s salaries. The Guardians are one of MLB’s most frugal franchises even in the best of times, so having to set aside money to pay for two players who are suspended won’t help things this offseason. 

The Guardians wasted little time in cleaning out Ortiz and Clase’s lockers in the wake of their suspensions, which was a tangible example of the players in the clubhouse moving on. Roja’s report is just another sign that we’re getting closer to the front office being able to move on as well.