Guardians Pitcher Emmanuel Clase Put on Leave as MLB Sports Betting Investigation Continues

Guardians Pitcher Emmanuel Clase Put on Leave as MLB Sports Betting Investigation Continues

ESPN reports that Major League Baseball is putting another player on leave as it looks into sports betting.

This time it's Emmanuel Clase, the closer for the Cleveland Guardians, who was put on non-disciplinary paid leave by Major League Baseball as part of an investigation into sports betting.  He is the second Guardians player that MLB has put on leave. 

Pitcher Luis Ortiz was forced to quit the organization in July due to gambling-related charges.  Following a league inquiry into in-game prop betting, where two of Ortiz's pitches saw greater than normal betting activity during starts on June 15 and June 18, concerns were raised about Ortiz, according to reports.

Placement of the Second Guardians Player on Leave

On Monday, the Guardians issued the following statement regarding the Clase situation:

"The Guardians have been notified by Major League Baseball that as part of their sports betting investigation, Emmanual 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.”

With a 0.61 ERA and 47 saves in 74.1 innings pitched, Clase is a 2024 Cy Young Award nominee for Cleveland and a top closer.  In each of the last three seasons, he led the American League in saves and was named to the All-Star team three times. 

Statement of the Guardians Issue

The 27-year-old Clase made 24 saves for the Guardians this season.  Before Monday's news, there had been trade rumors about him.  His deal, which increases to US$6.4 million for the upcoming season, is attractive.  There are club options for US$10 million in 2027 and 2028, as well as team control through 2028.  He was sought for on the trade market in part because of that.

Tucupita Marcano, an infielder for the San Diego Padres, was the first of five MLB players punished for gambling in July of last year.  MLB stated in its ruling that Marcano wagered over $150K on 387 baseball wagers with a legitimate sportsbook in 2022 and 2023. 

Jose Rodriguez, Andrew Sallfrank of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Jay Groome of the Padres, and Michael Kelly of the Oakland Athletics were all suspended for a year for gambling-related offenses.