Cleveland Guardians betting scandal updates: Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase indicted

Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were indicted for alleged involvement in rigging bets in Major League Baseball games.

Jun 27, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Luis Ortiz (45) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians offseason couldn't have gotten off to a worse start.

On Sunday, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that Guardians starting pitcher Luis Ortiz and closer Emmanuel Clase were indicted by prosecutors in Brooklyn in connection with charges related to rigging bets on pitches thrown in MLB games.

"Prosecutors in Brooklyn have indicted Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz on a host of charges related to a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in MLB games," Passan wrote on X. "Ortiz was arrested in Boston earlier today. Clase is not currently in custody."

Major League Baseball placed Ortiz on leave on July 3 and Clase on leave on July 28 as the league investigated the two pitchers for potential involvement in sports gambling.

Passan also reported that a 23-page indictment against Clase and Ortiz outlines an alleged scheme in which the pitchers intentionally threw balls.

"The 23-page indictment against Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz lays out the alleged scheme for the pitchers to intentionally throw balls so bettors could wager on pitches to be balls or strikes," Passan added. "It started, prosecutors say, as early as May 2023 with Clase and later included Ortiz.

The Guardinas traded with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Ortiz last offseason, and he was part of the starting rotation for the first half of the season. Passan noted that the alleged gambling scheme started with Clase in May 2023 and later on with Ortiz. There's a chance Clase could've gotten Ortiz involved when he became a member of the Guardians.

Zack Meisel from The Athletic shared on X what the Department of Justice is allegedly charging Clase and Ortiz with.

"From the DOJ," Meisel wrote. "Emmanuel Clase & Luis Ortiz are being charged with "wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy, for their alleged roles in a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown."

From the DOJ: Emmanuel Clase & Luis Ortiz are being charged w/ "wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy, for their alleged roles in a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown"

— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) November 9, 2025

Clase and Ortiz were supposed to be prominent members of the Guardians moving forward, especially Clase, who was one of the best closers in the MLB.

Cleveland has been waiting for four months, trying to figure out the situation with Clase and Ortiz. Now, it seems that if they are both found guilty of the alleged rigged bets, they may never pitch in the MLB again.

The Guardians can now operate this offseason by looking for replacements for both players.