Guardians fans have waited months for a decision on two pitchers who were placed on leave in July. Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have now been indicted for allegedly taking bribes to throw certain pitches. Our sports commentator Terry Pluto reflected on what’s in the indictment and what seems to be a disappointing end to the promising career of Emmanuel Clase.
Clase is a three-time All-Star from 2022 to 2024 and the Guardians’ all-time saves leader with 151. He has won the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award twice, in 2022 and 2024.
In 2022, Clase signed a five-year, $20 million contract extension with the Guardians. He earned $4.5 million last season and was in line to make $6 million in 2026.
“His contract had a $10 million option for ‘27 and ‘28, which the Guardians would have been thrilled to pick up if he continued to pitch at the high level,” Pluto said.
The indictment alleges that Clase sometimes sent text messages during games to coordinate micro prop bets as early as May 2023.
Pluto acknowledged that lawyers for the pitchers have denied the allegations, and he says he's speaking only from the indictment that was released Sunday.
"So, Clase would say, ‘Well, third inning, my first pitch will be ball,'" Pluto said. "He would tell the bettor that (and) they would spread money around and bet that way. The other micro bet, which I've never even heard of until this indictment came out, is (that) the pitch will be faster or slower than 94 miles an hour."
According to the indictment, Clase recruited Ortiz into the scheme during the 2025 season.
“Ortiz is a younger pitcher,” Pluto said. “He didn't have a long-term contract, but he was making like $450,000 this year and he was in line to make more. The Guardians traded for him from the Pirates. They liked him very much. They targeted him as a young, promising pitcher.”
Pluto said that from a baseball standpoint, teams view pitchers as assets to keep, trade, or move depending on contract value and future potential.
“But they’ll get nothing back for these guys,” Pluto said.
Pluto, who has followed Clase’s rise from a young reliever to one of the game’s top closers, described his personal disappointment.
“He was actually one of my favorite Guardian players,” Pluto said.
Pluto also reflected on the day Clase signed his contract extension at the end of spring training in Goodyear, Arizona, in 2022.
“Clase is there with about, I would say, eight to 10 people," Pluto said. "These are close friends and family members. This should have been a happy story for these guys. You know, the guy out of the Dominican Republic, not a lot of money, all that kind of stuff (and) he was cashing in. And then he actually turned out to even be better than the Guardians thought at that point. Emmanuel Clase could have pitched almost forever. These relievers go into their late 30s.”
Pluto believes the betting scandal has tarnished the integrity of the game.
“I’ve been receiving emails, 'Remember the '24 playoffs, Clase gave up three home runs in the postseason after he only gave up two all year,'" Pluto said. "Now, nothing in these indictments said that he was throwing the playoffs or any of that, but fans are going, was that going on? Another guy just emailed me this morning. He said, ‘Now only every time I see a pitcher throw a crazy pitch into the dirt that bounces five feet in front of the plate, it makes me wonder."
Pluto also highlighted the broader implications of betting on player performance rather than games.
“It's hard to fix a game, but when you can bet on a certain player's performance, you only really need the player to mess up," Pluto said. "And when you could sell it to the player like they do here, it's like, I'm not even telling you to walk the guy or anything. Just throw one pitch in the dirt or throw it slow. Those bets have to go. All this micro betting and all that, that's got to go.”
Governor Mike DeWine on Monday praised Major League Baseball for capping wagers on pitch-level prop bets at $200 and banning them from parlays. DeWine has been pushing for action on micro prop bets since Clase and Ortiz were placed on paid leave in July.
Meanwhile, Pluto said that if the players are convicted on any of the charges, they should receive a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball.
“You're done forever and ever, amen, because you have to scare the players," Pluto said. "It's a really sad day for baseball.”
A judge in Boston on Monday granted Ortiz his release with several conditions, including surrendering his passport, restricting his travel to the Northeast, and posting a $500,000 bail. Clase is believed to be outside the United States and, as of Tuesday, has not yet been taken into custody.
