Two Ex-Guardians Face Trial Over $460,000 Betting Scheme

Two former Cleveland Guardians pitchers stand accused of manipulating game outcomes for profit. A federal jury trial is set to begin Monday in Brooklyn, marking the start of a month-long legal battle for Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz.

Prosecutors claim the duo accepted bribes to share information with two bettors from the Dominican Republic. The government says these payments allowed the bettors to win at least $460,000 on proposition bets regarding pitch speed and results. The formal charges include conspiracy to commit electronic fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, conspiracy to launder money, and conspiracy to influence athletic competitions through bribery.

Clase, a 28-year-old three-time All-Star, began sharing details about his pitches in 2023. He recruited Ortiz, a 27-year-old starting pitcher, into the scheme in 2025. Both players have pleaded not guilty and are currently on the Guardians' non-disciplinary exempt list without pay while the legal process unfolds. Ortiz earned $782,600 for the 2025 season, while Clase had completed the fourth year of a five-year, $20 million contract when the charges surfaced in November 2025.

Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto stated on Friday that she expects to finish jury selection quickly enough for opening arguments to proceed that afternoon. She also ruled that prosecutors cannot show the jury evidence that Clase owed $500,000 in U.S. taxes. The judge found that the government provided that evidence to defense attorneys too late, missing the deadline for sharing proof with the opposing side.

A prosecutor had argued that the tax debt evidence was necessary to counter defense claims. The defense plans to argue that Clase had no financial incentive to conspire because he held millions of dollars in accounts in the Dominican Republic. The lawyers for both pitchers intend to argue that the players did not collude with bettors. Instead, they claim the pitchers were simply varying pitch locations strategically to deceive batters.

Ortiz's attorneys attempted to separate his case from Clase's but were unsuccessful. Major League Baseball and the Guardians stated they cooperated fully with authorities. The league noted it contacted federal law enforcement when it began investigating unusual betting activity.