Guardians' Emmanuel Clase Placed On Leave Amid Betting Scandal, Cade Smith Next In Line For Saves

Emmanuel Clase’s betting-related suspension leaves a huge void in fantasy leagues, making Cade Smith a must-add closer and shaking up the save category in all formats.

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Athletics at Progressive Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

So let me get this straight: my fantasy team takes three weeks of disaster appearances (nine runs, 23 hits, and one home run over 10.1 innings with nine strikeouts) from Emmanuel Clase to open 2025, putting me in a massive hole in ERA and WHIP. He claws his way to civilization over his next 37.0 innings (1.95 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts) while converting 20 of his 23 save opportunities. Now, Clase is shipwrecked for a month or more due to another chapter of the Luis Ortiz betting scandal.

BREAKING: Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of MLB's sports-betting investigation, sources tell ESPN.

Clase is the second Guardians pitcher on leave tied to the investigation, joining right-hander Luis Ortiz.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 28, 2025

Fantasy Baseball Impact Of Emmanuel Clase Sports Betting Scandal:

This news is devastating to fantasy teams depending on him for saves. Cade Smith can be had quickly in the “quickest to the computer wins the game” in home leagues. In formats with once-a-week moves with free agent bidding, the save category could have a massive swing for two teams – Clase losers and Smith gainers.

Last season, Smith gave the Guardians a second elite reliever while finishing the year with elite stats (6-1 with a 1.91 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts over 75.1 innings). He’s pitched well again this year (3.02 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 65 strikeouts over 44.2 innings), but more than half of his runs allowed (15) came in two disaster showings (eight runs, 10 baserunners, and two home runs over one inning). His average fastball (96.5 mph) has been the highest of his career. Smith relies on a split-finger pitch as his second-best offering while throwing fewer sliders (9.9%) this year.

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith (36) throws a pitch during the tenth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Smith is a must-add in all formats. Based on his expected missed time, Clase (until 8/31) appears to be a cut in fantasy leagues. Unfortunately, his name value and the unknown destination of this betting issue will force fantasy managers to hold hope that he returns at some point this year. 

Breaking Down Major League Baseball's Betting Scandal

When reflecting on this betting scandal, Major League Baseball is empowering two entities – sportsbooks and potential leverage by unsavory characters.

Let’s be real—if a sportsbook wants to take action on a 50/50 bet tied to a single event, they should also accept the responsibility that comes with it. After all, they’re the ones setting the odds and deciding how much money they’re willing to take. Would this even be a story if the wager was for $500? At what dollar amount does a bet become a scandal instead of a shrug? And more importantly, how much money has to be involved before someone starts whispering in a player’s ear—or a player starts seeing dollar signs with every pitch?

Plenty of big leaguers come from places where making a quick buck by any means necessary is part of daily survival. So when MLB launches a high-profile investigation like this, are they actually protecting the integrity of the game—or just bailing out a sportsbook that made a questionable call by taking the bet in the first place? And if a player is being leaned on by someone with deeper pockets and shadier motives, isn’t MLB punishing the victim twice—once for being influenced, and again for being influenced publicly?

My thought process on this situation is purely speculative, with an outside-the-box approach.