Emmanuel Clase's agent makes public statement on MLB gambling investigation

With the MLB gambling controversy seemingly overshadowing the World Series right now, one of the Guardian pitchers at the heart of it is abroad and isn't concerned.

Jul 13, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) celebrates after getting the final out against the Chicago White Sox during the tenth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

An agent of one of the Cleveland Guardians pitchers isn’t concerned about their client being caught in the middle of the MLB’s gambling investigation.

It comes after two Guardians pitchers, closer Emmanuel Clase and starter Luis Ortiz became part of an investigation by the MLB after a betting reliability firm flagged multiple suspicious bets in June of this year.

Despite all this, one of the two Guardians pitchers is not worried about the recent news and rumors swirling.

Kelvin Nova, the agent for Clase, has said that his client is not focusing on what is going on off the pitch, but is instead working while he has been placed on immediate leave, as has Ortiz.

“He told me he doesn’t bet,” Nova told cleveland.com. “He’s just waiting right now for MLB to make a decision. He’s practicing in the Dominican Republic right now.”

“He told me he doesn’t bet,” agent Kelvin Nova told clevelanddotcom. “He’s just waiting right now for MLB to make a decision. He’s practicing in the Dominican Republic right now.” https://t.co/heStFPvkfR

— clevelanddotcom (@clevelanddotcom) October 28, 2025

The disturbing news has caught the attention of the Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, who is calling for a ban on micro prop bets, which is the cause of the controversy.

As reported by the Columbus Dispatch, the MLB commissioner's office told DeWine that they "thought they had an agreement" with all sports gaming companies, except for one, to ban the bets.

In a nutshell, micro prop bets are wagers on specific actions that occur during a sporting event, often controlled by a single player. This could include how many strikeouts a pitcher gets or how many innings they last.

In-game betting, which micro prop bets are a part of, accounted for more than half of the money wagered on FanDuel and DraftKings in recent financial quarters, as reported by the New York Times.

"The most important thing that we can do is make sure that we have systems in place that give us access to data, which puts you in a position to determine if there's something aberrational going on," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said.

"I think then when you get that, you need to conduct a thorough investigation, make sure that you understand exactly what caused that aberration. And then you need to discipline."

It comes after several NBA coaches and players were arrested and charged recently over two separate gambling operations that leaked inside information about NBA athletes and rigged poker games backed by Mafia families.

Former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones, along with current Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, was arrested for leaking private information about NBA players to help with sports betting.

Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was charged with participating in poker games tied to the Mafia that were rigged.