Guardians pitchers face fraud trial

Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers are on trial in Brooklyn federal court, facing charges that they accepted cash to help gamblers win money on specific pitches. The verdict will determine whether they keep their careers or go to prison.

Emmanuel Clase, 28, and Luis Ortiz, 27, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges. They are currently on non-disciplinary leave from the Guardians without pay. The trial is expected to last one month, with catchers and baseball executives scheduled to testify.

The indictment states that the pitchers accepted several thousand dollars in payoffs. The two Dominican Republic natives allegedly worked with gamblers to win at least $460,000 on in-game prop bets. These bets tracked the speed and outcome of individual pitches. Clase began sharing pitch information in 2023. He recruited Ortiz into the scheme in 2025.

Clase was a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year. He had completed his fourth season of a five-year, $20 million contract when the charges surfaced in November 2025. Ortiz earned $782,600 as a starter for the Guardians during the 2025 season. Lawyers for Ortiz failed in their bid to separate his trial from Clase's.

The pitchers face four counts: wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. Defense attorneys plan to argue that the pitchers were not colluding. They will claim the players were simply varying pitch placement to fool batters.

Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto ruled on Friday that prosecutors cannot show the jury evidence that Clase owed $500,000 in U.S. taxes. The judge determined the government turned over the proof to defense lawyers too late. A prosecutor argued the evidence was needed to counter claims that Clase had no financial incentive to cheat because he held millions in accounts in the Dominican Republic.

Major League Baseball and the Guardians stated they fully cooperated with authorities. MLB told federal law enforcement about the unusual betting activity when it began its own investigation.