What Emmanuel Clase being placed on leave means for MLB, the Guardians and the trade market

Yahoo

5 days ago

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave Monday as part of an ongoing MLB investigation into sports betting. Clase becomes the second Cleveland Guardian involved in the probe, joining starting pitcher Luis Ortiz, who was put on the same non-disciplinary leave on July 3. Ortiz's leave was recently extended through Aug. 31, the same date that Clase's stint will expire.
The news, first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan, was later confirmed in a statement by the Guardians.
The Guardians were tight-lipped in their statement, noting only that 'no additional players or Club personnel are expected to be impacted.' If true, that's a significant piece of news and one that stems any speculation about a larger scheme afoot at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.
The Ortiz news made ripples earlier this month when ESPN reported that two specific pitches of his had been flagged as suspicious. The offerings — one against the Mariners on June 15 and one against the Cardinals on June 27 — were both balls thrown on the first pitch of an inning. Sportsbooks often offer wagers on individual pitches, providing odds, for example, on whether the first pitch of an inning will be a ball, a strike or put in play.
The unverified suspicion about Ortiz is that the 26-year-old Dominican was purposefully throwing balls to begin innings. Presumably, either he or an associate was then placing larger than normal wagers on those pitches. Sportsbooks and betting integrity consultancies track such outliers, as was the case with Ortiz, per ESPN.
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But while Ortiz's alleged conduct raised eyebrows and alarms, Clase's towering stature makes his involvement much bigger news. The 27-year-old closer is widely regarded as one of the best relievers in the sport. His career 1.88 ERA across 366 games is the second-lowest mark in MLB history among pitchers with at least 100 career appearances. In 2024, Clase delivered a historically great relief campaign, surrendering just five earned runs across 74⅓ innings and earning a third-place finish in American League Cy Young voting. Also, in 2020, he received an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.
Clase immediately becomes the most notable major leaguer disciplined or placed on leave for potential involvement in a gambling probe. In March 2024, two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani was wrapped up in a betting scandal surrounding his longtime interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Evidence swiftly absolved Ohtani of guilt, and he was never reprimanded by the league in any way. In June 2024, five MLB players were disciplined after it was revealed they had bet on MLB games. Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Tucupita Marcano was given a lifetime ban for placing 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000. The other four players — Michael Kelly (Athletics), Jay Groome (Padres), José Rodríguez (Phillies) and Andrew Saalfrank (Diamondbacks) — were each suspended for a year for wagering much smaller amounts.
The omnipresence of online sports betting has exploded since a 2018 Supreme Court ruling deemed a federal ban on sports gambling unconstitutional. In the years since, sportsbooks have pounced to secure agreements with professional sports leagues and organizations. More than half of MLB teams, as well as the league itself, have some sort of official sportsbook or online gambling partner. It has become impossible to attend or watch a ballgame without being inundated by parlay offerings and over/under prop bets.
That this wave has spread to players is as unsurprising as it is concerning. MLB is not the only league dealing with the implications of gambling's growth. NBA player Jontay Portay was banned for life in 2024 after it was discovered that he disclosed inside information to sports bettors and restricted his own availability for the purpose of winning bets.
At the same time, the allegations about Ortiz — and, by proxy, Clase — coaxing negative outcomes for potential financial benefit represent unprecedented territory in baseball's modern era. Such actions threaten the competitive integrity of the sport. Depending on the results of this investigation, the players could deserve and receive punishment.
However, this is also a dynamic of the league's making. By embracing the world of online gambling for financial gain, MLB, like other major sports leagues, made a calculated risk. The league understood that in exchange for a massive cash infusion, it would, one day, need to withstand a reckoning. That moment — in which the line between competition and commerce blurs into a dangerous haze — has very much arrived. Baseball is not the only sport fighting this issue, but given the sheer number of inconsequential micromoments that can be bet on in a baseball game, the sport is uniquely vulnerable.
And while the game's fundamental integrity remains intact for now, each additional scandal chips away at the armor. Ortiz and Clase might be the only characters in this particular scandal, but they will not be baseball's last rulebreakers. — Mintz
How does this news impact the Guardians and the trade deadline?
Only time will reveal the long-term implications and consequences of Ortiz's and Clase's alleged misdeeds. But while the league's investigation into their conduct is still in its early stages, Monday's news about Clase will have significant short-term ramifications for this season and the MLB trade deadline.
Even before Clase's sudden unavailability, the Guardians were primed to be one of the more intriguing clubs in the hours leading up to the 6 p.m. ET Thursday deadline. The defending AL Central champions and one of the final four teams standing last October, Cleveland's first half of 2025 hardly resembled that of a contender, and a 10-game losing streak seemed to have the team trending toward sell mode in early July. But the Guardians have rallied since that brutal skid, winning 12 of their past 17 games to remain on the fringes of the AL wild-card race.
Still, with a sub-.500 record and a minus-38 run differential that doesn't inspire much confidence about the postseason, the Guardians have been getting plenty of calls from rival clubs inquiring about the availability of some of their key players. And unlike some other expected sellers — such as Arizona and Baltimore, who have a boatload of expiring contracts to deal away — Cleveland's most compelling trade chips, including Clase, have multiple years of team control remaining. The closer signed an extension in 2022 that has him scheduled to make $6.4 million in 2026 and features $10 million club options for 2027 and '28, an ultra-affordable contract for one of the game's best closers, making him a premium trade chip if Cleveland chooses to deal him.
But that surplus value is now moot, at least for the time being, forcing Cleveland to contemplate alternative deadline strategies. It's not just about losing Clase as a piece who could net a serious haul in a trade; it's also about losing a key reliever for any realistic effort to be a playoff team in 2025. On both sides, it's a massive shake-up that could alter how Cleveland acts this week.
The spotlight of trade speculation could now shine brighter on another key Guardian whom plenty of rival clubs have called about: All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan, who is under contract through 2027. Prior to Monday's news, Clase appeared far more likely to be on the move than Clase, but perhaps Cleveland will now be more willing to entertain a potentially massive return in a Kwan trade.
Shane Bieber also looms as a unique Guardians trade candidate this week, a franchise favorite who somewhat surprisingly re-signed with Cleveland this past offseason while rehabbing elbow surgery. But if the Guardians are intent on retooling, Bieber — who has a $16 million player option for next season — could immediately become one of the more alluring starting pitchers available. He is scheduled to make a minor-league rehab start this week; it's safe to say that outing will be heavily scouted by rival clubs.
Maybe the Guardians decide to lay low ahead of the deadline and proceed with the roster they have, accepting where this season goes, for better or worse. But it's hard not to wonder how Clase's unexpected exit from the roster has shifted their plans.
Beyond Cleveland, the market for Clase's peers at his position might also be impacted by this unexpected twist. With a notable lack of impact hitters available via trade, several contending teams have reportedly turned their attention to a crowded relief market as a more realistic avenue for upgrading their rosters. Clase's placement on the restricted list likely means one fewer high-leverage arm for teams to chase in the coming days.
That could raise the prices for Jhoan Duran or Griffin Jax, two top Twins relievers under contract through 2027, or Pirates closer David Bednar, who is even more likely to be dealt and is signed through 2026. San Diego's Robert Suarez (who can opt out of his remaining two years, $16 million after this season), Tampa Bay's Pete Fairbanks ($6 million club option for 2026) and St. Louis' Ryan Helsley (free agent after this season) are three other top-tier relievers who could be on the move as part of a league-wide game of closer musical chairs in the coming days. — Shusterman