Guardians move Clase and Ortiz to unpaid non-disciplinary leave, as match-fixing probe continues

• Major League Baseball has placed Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz of the Cleveland Guardians on unpaid non-disciplinary leave amid an ongoing match-fixing investigation
• The move, agreed with the MLB Players Association, follows allegations that the pitchers manipulated specific pitches to influence betting outcomes, though both players have pleaded not guilty.
• The case adds to a growing list of concerns about the integrity of professional sports in the age of regulated sports betting and the rise of prediction markets

As Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced a fresh partnership with prediction market platform Polymarket, concerns about the sport’s integrity are unrelenting.

The recent saga involving two Cleveland Guardians players has now turned a fresh page, with Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, suspected of leaking insider information to influence betting outcomes, now put on unpaid non-disciplinary leave.

MLB moves to put Clase, Ortiz on unpaid non-disciplinary leave

The news was confirmed on Friday and is the result of an agreement between MLB and the MLB Players' Association, a trade group that looks out for and protects the interests of players.

Commenting on the decision in a statement, MLB had this to say: "As the legal proceedings involving Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz continue to move forward, MLB and the MLBPA have agreed that both players will remain on non-disciplinary leave from the Club without pay until further notice."

The statement did stress that moving the players to an unpaid non-disciplinary leave, however, was not tantamount to acknowledging any wrongdoing on the part of either player, and that was down to investigators to establish.

Clase and Ortiz have maintained their innocence in the meantime, pleading not guilty to charges of wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering, and conspiracy to influence sporting events by bribery, among others. There is more than their career at stake, however, as they may face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty and given maximum sentences.

Investigators allege that Clase, in particular, has been throwing rigged pitches to influence betting outcomes. There may be as many as 48 games involved and "at least" 250 pitches on which bets were placed. These violations were registered at the start of the 2023 season and carried through the 2025 season, when Clase allegedly involved Ortiz into the "scheme."

Investigators gave specific examples of bets that Clase allegedly manipulated, choosing the speed at which he threw his pitches, to specifically match whether they would be faster or slower than 94.95 mph, resulting in hefty payouts for bettors on at least two occasions recorded by the investigators.

Ortiz and Clase maintain their innocence as they face a litany of serious accusations

Clase is alleged to have requested and received payment, "bribe and kickback payments" per the indictment, to throw specific pitches, the investigators added. Ortiz joined the alleged scheme on June 15, 2025.

This is just one of the series of high-profile scandals to have rocked professional sports, with several NBA insiders, past and present players, facing intensifying scrutiny.

Critics have also argued that prediction markets allow such manipulations to happen more freely, as they do not have the same rigorous oversight safeguards that traditional sportsbooks do. This is an ongoing story.

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