Emmanuel

Clase

The placement on unpaid leave comes after the Guardians came to an agreement with the MLBPA. Both Clase and Ortiz are currently being investigated on gambling charges related to a schame to manipulate bets on pitches thrown in games. ""This agreement is not an admission of any wrongdoing by Clase or Ortiz,” a statement from Major League Baseball read. “MLB has been closely monitoring the matter since alerting federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and will have no further comment until its investigation has been completed.”

It’s difficult to reconcile Clase’s outstanding numbers with the idea that he was actually working against himself a fair amount of the time, but that’s the accusation here. Clase remains on non-disciplinary paid leave from MLB, and his trial is currently scheduled to begin on May 4.

Passan adds that Ortiz was arrested earlier this weekend, while Clase is not currently in custody. The pair could face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges, which include fraud, conspiracy, and bribery. Prosecutors allege that Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball June 15, with Clase receiving the same amount for facilitating it. The indictment also claims they repeated the scheme on June 27, earning $7,000 apiece. The pair of Guardians pitchers were placed on administrative leave in late July amid MLB’s ongoing sports-betting investigation and both appear highly unlikely to ever pitch in the majors again. A final decision on their status won’t come until the criminal proceedings play out. We’ll have updates on the developing situation as it unfolds.

Clase is on non-disciplinary paid leave and will not be allowed to take part in the winter-ball festivities. He and Luis L. Ortiz are both being investigated for potential ties into sports-betting, and there’s no timetable for either to return to the mound at this point.

Clase and Ortiz were placed on leave in late July amid the league’s sports-betting investigation and are highly unlikely to pitch again this season. Both will also be ineligible for the postseason, as they won’t be active within Cleveland’s organization by September 1. A final resolution and potential disciplinary ruling should come before the start of next season. Given the circumstances, it’s fair to wonder if either has thrown his last pitch in the majors.

Passan reports that this is “tied into the investigation” involving Luis Ortiz. Obviously, this shuts down the possibility of a trade involving Clase. Cade Smith probably takes over as the favorite for saves in Cleveland and should be picked up everywhere, though it’s possible the Guardians, who might be more motivated to sell without Clase, could trade him prior to the deadline. Hunter Gaddis could also be in the mix for saves.

Clase threw 12 pitches in game two after using 15 in giving up a three-run homer in the first game. We imagine he’ll be down Sunday after this, potentially leading to a save chance for Cade Smith.

In a bit of an oddity, all three runs were earned, since Clase picked off the automatic runner on second base. Unfortunately, that was the only out Clase recorded before giving up a homer to Jonathan India. With umpire Malachi Moore refusing to give him anything close, Clase walked Josh Rave before the pickoff and Luke Maile afterwards to set things up. Maybe Rave would have reached anyway, but it really looked like Maile’s ball four should have been strike three. It’s Clase’s fifth blown save and third loss. He had allowed just one homer all year and never more than two runs in an outing.

Clase was tasked with protecting a one-run lead against the heart of Baltimore’s lineup and needed just 12 pitches to slam the door. He struck out Gunnar Henderson to open the frame before coaxing a harmless ground out from Ryan O’Hearn and whiffing Ramón Laureano to end it. The 27-year-old stopper has reeled off seven consecutive scoreless appearances and ranks third in the American League in the saves department.

The one hit against him was a fly to shallow center that should have been caught. Clase has gone six straight appearances without allowing a run, and his ERA is a season-low 2.80.