Former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz faced the start of their federal trial in Brooklyn on Monday, accused of accepting thousands of dollars in bribes to help gamblers win hundreds of thousands of dollars on prop bets in a scheme involving Major League Baseball.
The pitchers, who have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges including wire fraud and money laundering, are on unpaid leave from the Guardians while their fate is determined by a jury in a trial expected to unfold over the next month.
Prosecutors allege Clase began providing information about his pitches to two gamblers from the Dominican Republic in 2023 and recruited Ortiz into the scheme in 2025. The indictment says the gamblers won at least $460,000.
Defence lawyers are expected to argue that the pitchers were not colluding with gamblers but were strategically varying the placement of their pitches to fool opposing batters. Ortiz’s lawyers had previously tried unsuccessfully to have him tried separately from Clase.
On Friday, Judge Kiyo A Matsumoto ruled that prosecutors could not show the jury evidence of taxes Clase owed, because the government had turned it over to the defence long after the evidence deadline. A prosecutor had argued the evidence was needed to offset any claim by Clase’s lawyers that he had no incentive to collude because he had several million dollars in financial accounts in the Dominican Republic.
Several professional baseball players and baseball executives are among those expected to testify. Clase, 28, is a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year who had completed his fourth season of a $20m, five-year contract when charges were revealed in November 2025. Ortiz, 27, earned $782,600 as a starting pitcher for the Guardians during the 2025 season. The league and the Guardians have said they fully cooperated with authorities, with MLB saying it contacted federal law enforcement when it began investigating unusual betting activity.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The case challenges the integrity of live in-game betting markets, which have grown rapidly in US sports. A conviction could set a major legal precedent for "spot-fixing" in the US, distinct from match-fixing.
- The trial places the careers and personal freedoms of two high-profile athletes directly on the line, illustrating the severe consequences for athletes involved in gambling-related corruption.
- The outcome could prompt MLB or federal regulators to overhaul monitoring of in-game betting and player communication with gamblers.
Background
The scandal emerged in November 2025 when charges were filed against Clase and Ortiz, alleging a years-long scheme. Clase, a star reliever on a $20m contract, and Ortiz, a starting pitcher, were accused of accepting small bribes to throw specific pitches on demand. The case is being prosecuted in the Eastern District of New York and has already seen procedural wrangling over evidence and the failed bid for a separate trial by Ortiz.
Key Perspectives
Prosecution: Alleges Clase began providing inside pitch information to gamblers in 2023, recruited Ortiz in 2025, and that the scheme yielded over $460,000 for the bettors.
Defence: Is expected to argue that the pitchers were not colluding with gamblers but were varying their pitch placement strategically to outwit opposing batters.
MLB and the Guardians: Have stated they fully cooperated with federal authorities, with MLB contacting law enforcement when unusual betting activity was noticed.
What to Watch
- The opening statements Monday afternoon, which will lay out the prosecution and defence narratives for the month-long trial.
- How the jury reacts to the excluded tax evidence and the defence's strategic play-calling argument.
- Testimony from professional baseball players and executives, which is expected in the coming weeks.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedThe trial of former Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz begins Monday in Brooklyn federal court.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz go on trial on Monday on charges of accepting bribes”
- SupportedProsecutors allege the pitchers accepted bribes to help gamblers win hundreds of thousands of dollars on prop bets involving pitch speed and outcomes.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “According to an indictment, the pitchers accepted thousands of dollars in payoffs to help two gamblers from their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on in-game prop bets on the speed and outcome of certain pitches.”
- SupportedThe defence is expected to argue the pitchers varied pitch placement strategically to fool batters rather than colluding with gamblers.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Defence lawyers are expected to argue that the pitchers did not collude with gamblers and instead were varying the placement of pitches strategically to fool batters.”
- SupportedThe pitchers pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges including wire fraud and money laundering.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The pitchers have been charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery.”
- SupportedThe pitchers are on unpaid leave from the Guardians while their fate is determined.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Clase, the Guardians’ former closer, and Ortiz, a starter, have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges and are on non-disciplinary leave from the club without pay while their fate is determined.”
- SupportedProsecutors allege Clase began providing pitch information to two gamblers in 2023 and recruited Ortiz in 2025.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Prosecutors allege that Clase began providing the betters with information about his pitches in 2023 and recruited Ortiz into the scheme in 2025.”
- SupportedThe indictment says the gamblers won at least $460,000.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “According to an indictment, the pitchers accepted thousands of dollars in payoffs to help two gamblers from their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on in-game prop bets on the speed and outcome of certain pitches.”
- SupportedOrtiz’s lawyers unsuccessfully sought to have him tried separately from Clase.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Ortiz’s lawyers unsuccessfully sought to have him tried separately from Clase.”
- SupportedOn Friday, the judge ruled prosecutors could not show the jury evidence that Clase owed taxes because it was disclosed late.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “On Friday, the judge ruled that prosecutors cannot show the jury proof that Clase owed $500,000 in US taxes because they had only provided the evidence to defence lawyers several days earlier and long after a deadline had passed to turn over evidence to their adversaries.”
- SupportedA prosecutor argued the tax evidence was needed to counter a possible claim that Clase had no incentive to collude because he had several million dollars in Dominican Republic financial accounts.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “A prosecutor had argued that the government wanted to put the evidence in the trial to offset any claim by Clase’s lawyers that he had no incentive to collude with gamblers because he had several million dollars in financial accounts in the Dominican Republic.”
- SupportedThe league and the Guardians said they fully cooperated with authorities.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “MLB and the Guardians have said they have fully cooperated with authorities.”
- SupportedMLB said it contacted federal law enforcement when it began investigating unusual betting activity.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “MLB said it contacted federal law enforcement when it began investigating unusual betting activity.”