Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the Department of Justice has indicted Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz on a host of charges related to illegal sports gambling:
BREAKING: Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel
Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted by prosecutors in Brooklyn on a host of charges related to a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in MLB games. Ortiz was arrested in Boston earlier today. Clase is not currently in custody.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 9, 2025
The 23-page indictment against Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz lays out the alleged scheme for the pitchers to intentionally throw balls so bettors could wager on pitches to be balls or strikes. It started, prosecutors say, as early as May 2023 with Clase and later included Ortiz.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 9, 2025
Prosecutors allege that Luis Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball June 15 and Emmanuel Clase given $5,000 for facilitating it. They did it again, according to the indictment, June 27. The payment for each on that pitch was $7,000 apiece.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 9, 2025
In a statement to ESPN, Major League Baseball said: “MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process. We are aware of the indictment and today's arrest, and our investigation is ongoing.”
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 9, 2025
Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges, according to the Eastern District of New York, which outlined the case against Clase and Ortiz after indicting them on fraud, conspiracy and bribery charges. pic.twitter.com/9UjlZ2Iw7m
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 9, 2025
Zack Meisel of the Athletic added some additional context:
*Activity began around May '23 for Clase, Ortiz joined June '25
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) November 9, 2025
"Clase caused co-conspirator bettors to win at least $400,000 in fraudulent wagers."
"Ortiz caused co-conspirator bettors to win at least $60,000 in fraudulent wagers."
They face up to 65 years if convicted. https://t.co/AGlte5IyzD
So, to summarize, it appears as though Clase was involved before Ortiz was and got Ortiz involved. I guess what questions remain center around whether or not either player was threatened or coerced by organized crime, but currently, it sure seems like both were just incredibly short-sighted and dumb to throw away professional careers for short-term gains.
Neither Clase or Ortiz will ever pitch again. This is a shame because Clase was the franchise’s all-time leader in saves and one of the most dominant pitchers we have ever seen. Ortiz was a very talented young pitcher in his own right. It’s such a waste.
I vote we restore Cody Allen to his rightful place atop the franchise’s saves leaderboard. It’s about the only meaningful step we can take to recoup some value from two players essentially disappearing from all relevance to the future of this team.
The Guardians not receiving any value from Clase or Ortiz in trade or on-field is an immense blow. The team miraculously overcame it to win a division last year. Now, they will need help from ownership and front office creativity to so for the years ahead.
