Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and right-handed starter Luis L. Ortiz have been indicted on charges stemming from alleged gambling misconduct — specifically manipulating bets on individual pitches. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced the charges on Sunday and unsealed the indictment at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn. Ortiz has already been arrested in Boston, while Clase is not in custody. The Department of Justice has charged the pair with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy.
Clase’s alleged actions date back to May of 2023, while Oritz’s began in June of 2025. Furthermore, Clase’s actions are alleged to have benefitted bettors by a sum of $700,000, while Ortiz’s accrued to the benefit of co-conspiring gamblers by a sum of $60,000. Overall, bettors conspiring with the pair made at least $450,000 from betting platforms, prosecutors allege. Clase is alleged to have communicated with bettors via text messages during games.
The pair could face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges. The indictment reads:
“The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on the wire fraud conspiracy count, 20 years’ imprisonment on the honest services wire fraud conspiracy count, five years’ imprisonment on the conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery count, and 20 years’ imprisonment on the money laundering conspiracy count.”
Clase, 27, was one of two Guardians pitchers placed on administrative leave over the summer while the league investigated potential misdoing. Ortiz was also placed on leave several weeks earlier. Both Clase and Ortiz had their leaves extended in late August through the rest of the 2025 regular season.
“MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process,” the league said in a statement to ESPN. “We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing.”
The Guardians said they will “continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue.”
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According to the Department of Justice, both pitchers “agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types of pitches and speeds of pitches.” Said co-conspirators then allegedly used that inside information to place bets.
“In some instances, the defendants received bribes and kickback payments … in exchange for rigging pitches,” prosecutors wrote.
The indictment chronicles specific instances in which the pitchers are alleged to have manipulated outcomes in collaboration with bettors:
- On or around May 19, 2023: Bettors allegedly made roughly $27,000 on a Clase pitch that was faster than 94.95 mph.
- On or around June 3, 2023: Bettors allegedly made roughly $38,000 on a Clase pitch that was slower than 94.95 mph and called a ball.
- On or around June 7, 2023: Bettors allegedly made roughly $68,000 on a Clase pitch that was slower than 94.95 and called a ball.
- On or around April 12, 2025: Bettors allegedly won $15,000 on a Clase pitch that was slower than 98.45 mph and called a ball. The next day, Clase is alleged to have asked one of the co-conspiring bettors to who won money on the April 12 pitch to “send some of it to DR,” seemingly referring to Clase’s home country of the Dominican Republic, “for repairs at the country house.”
- April 26, 2025: Bettors allegedly won approximately $11,000 on a Clase pitch that was clocked slower than 97.95 mph.
- May 11, 2025: Bettors allegedly won approximately $11,000 on a Clase pitch that was called a ball.
- May 13, 2025: Bettors allegedly won approximately $3,500 on a Clase pitch that was a ball and was slower than 99.45 mph.
- May 17, 2025: This is one of the games in which Clase is alleged to have used his cell phone to coordinate with one or more bettors during the game. Bettors on this date are alleged to have won roughly $10,000 on a Clase pitch that was clocked slower then 97.95 mph and called a ball.
- On or about May 20, 2025: Clase is alleged to have directed a co-conspiring bettor to communicate with an associate, who subsequently directed the bettor to send $2,000 to an individual in the Dominican Republic.
- On or about May 28, 2025: Bettors wagered roughly $4,000 that a specific pitch by Clase would be a ball. The pitch did indeed appear to be out of the strike zone, but the batter swung and missed for a strike. The indictment reads: “Approximately 20 minutes after Bettor-I lost the wager on May 28, 2025, Bettor-I sent a text message to the defendant EMMANUEL CLASE DE LA CRUZ-a .gif image of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. Even though the Cleveland Guardians won the game, approximately 10 minutes later, CLASE responded to Bettor-I with a .gif image of a sad puppy dog face.”
Ortiz is alleged to have joined Clase’s scheme in June of 2025. Some of Ortiz’s specific actions highlighted by the debate include:
- On or about June 15, 2025: Ortiz is alleged to have agreed to throw his first pitch of the second inning for a ball in exchange for $5,000 from Clase. This made approximately $26,000 for two co-conspiring bettors.
- On or about June 27, 2025: Ortiz agreed to throw his first pitch of the third inning for a ball in exchange for approximately $7,000. Bettors are alleged to have made about $37,000 off the pitch.
Ortiz has denied all allegations against him and claimed he “has never, and would never, improperly influence a game — not for anyone and not for anything.”
“Luis is and always has been a fierce competitor. He has always given his best effort in every inning of every game. Those who have played with him know this. And the government’s investigation, including discussions with Luis’ teammates, supports this as well,” his lawyer told CBS Sports in a statement. “…There is no credible evidence Luis knowingly did anything other than try to win games, with every pitch and in every inning. Luis looks forward to fighting these charges in court. The government’s case is weak and circumstantial. He will defend himself, and he will be prevail.”
Ortiz’s lawyer also said that all payments and money transfers were “for lawful activities.”
Clase, who did not pitch after July 26, appeared in 48 games prior to the deactivation. He had amassed a 3.23 ERA (130 ERA+) and a 3.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His contributions had been worth an estimated 0.7 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference’s calculations. Ortiz made 16 starts before his suspension, going 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA.
“Professional athletes, like Luis Leandro Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz hold a position of trust-not only with their teammates and their professional leagues, but with fans who believe in fair play,” United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. said in a statement.
“As alleged, the defendants sold that trust to gamblers by fixing pitches. In doing so, the defendants deprived the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball of their honest services. They defrauded the online betting platforms where the bets were placed. And they betrayed America’s pastime. Integrity, honesty and fair play are part of the DNA of professional sports. When corruption infiltrates the sport, it brings disgrace not only to the participants but damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us. Today’s charges make clear that our Office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who corrupt sports through illegal means.”
As with all such proceedings, defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The indictment comes just weeks after Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested as part of an NBA betting scandal. Rozier and his co-conspirators allegedly obtained insider information about games, including which players were healthy and active, and passed it along to bettors. More than $200,000 in bets were placed on Rozier’s “under” line across multiple prop bets during a March 23, 2023, game in which he left after playing less than 10 minutes. Damon Jones, a former NBA player, was also indicted and accused of passing along inside information, including about LeBron James.
While sports gambling has been legalized across the country, MLB (and other leagues) have rules that prohibit certain behavior. MLB, for example, does not allow players to gamble on diamond sports, even of other teams. In 2024, MLB banned former San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for life and suspended four other players — Athletics righty Michael Kelly, Padres lefty Jay Groome, Philadelphia Phillies infielder José Rodriguez, and Arizona Diamondbacks lefty Andrew Saalfrank — after they were discovered to have bet on baseball games not involving their teams.
Back in May, commissioner Rob Manfred reinstated several of the most notorious gambling-related rule violaters in league history — Pete Rose and several members of the 1919 Black Sox — from MLB’s permanently ineligible list on the grounds that the lifetime bans ended with the player’s death.