Phillies Trade Target Emmanuel Clase Placed on Leave Amid Gambling Probe

The Philadelphia Phillies may have to scratch a name off their list in terms of potential relievers to acquire this week at the trade deadline.

In news which has the potential to be one of the biggest stories the sport has seen in a long time, baseball insider Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Monday afternoon that Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has been put on non-disciplinary paid leave amid a sports gambling investigation. He'll be on leave through Aug. 31.

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Clase is the second Guardians player to be placed on leave along with right-hander Luis Ortiz.

Widely considered to be the best closer in Major League Baseball, Clase having any sort of involvement in a scandal of this nature would be a shocking development.

The 27-year-old has an ERA this season of 3.23 and a WHIP of 1.225, all coming off his absurd 2024 campaign in which he had a 0.61 ERA and 0.659 WHIP with an American League-leading 47 saves.

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It was not a major expectation that Clase was going to be traded this week, given that his contract has him locked up for three more seasons after 2025. However, if the Phillies wanted to make a huge blockbuster trade for a closer, he was certainly on the shortlist.

Philadelphia is now going to have to pivot in another direction as it appears Clase may have some more significant issues to worry about rather than the possibility of being traded this week.

In the meantime, keep an eye on the Phillies still to look for a closer.

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