The Cleveland Guardians announced earlier today that three-time All-Star and closing pitcher Emmanuel Clase has been put on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of the MLB’s investigation into sports betting. Clase’s leave is currently scheduled to run through August 31st, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Clase is the second member of the Guardians to be put on non-disciplinary paid leave due to the investigation. He joins fellow pitcher Luis Ortiz, who has been on leave since July 3rd.
“We have been informed that no additional players or Club personnel are expected to be impacted,” the team said in a statement. “The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time, and will respect the league’s confidential investigative process as we continue to fully cooperate.”
Emmanuel Clase has been a member of the Cleveland Guardians since 2021. During his tenure in Cleveland, he was named to three MLB All-Star Games and was named the American League Reliever of the Year in 2022 and 2024.
A huge loss for the Guardians
This is a major gut-punch for the Cleveland Guardians, who were already trying to navigate rocky waters without one of their starting pitchers ever since Ortiz was put on leave. Now, the Guardians will have to attempt to make a playoff push three-and-a-half games back from one of the Wild Card spots without arguably the best closing pitcher of the last three years.
It’s not like Cleveland is an offensive juggernaut. They’re 26th in runs scored and dead last in team batting average. They’re really in the playoff conversation because they’re a solid pitching squad (16th in team ERA). With Ortiz already gone and the team now losing its closer, Cleveland can expect its sub-4.00 ERA to begin to creep higher and higher as the season continues.
This also greatly impacts the team’s trade deadline strategy. If the Guardians want to be buyers and go all-in this season, they’ll have to add a closing pitcher to their wishlist. Conversely, if they wanted to be sellers and trade away players for prospects and future considerations, they just lost one of their most valuable trade pieces. Clase is the type of closer who could’ve been traded for good, young players. Considering the Mets, Cubs, and Yankees have had bullpen issues, Cleveland could’ve leveraged that into a trade to make their starting lineup better. Now, they have no leverage ahead of the trade deadline.
This could be the nail in the coffin for the 2025 Cleveland Guardians. They were a below .500 team before this announcement. With Clase out until August 31st at the earliest, they will likely drop more games than they initially expected and fall short of the postseason.
Is Emmanuel Clase’s MLB future in jeopardy?
This is a terrible look for Emanuel Clase, who hasn’t been a saint in the majors. In 2020, he was suspended for the whole season due to PED use. If he had a pristine past, it would be easier to give him the benefit of the doubt regarding this investigation.
I do not want to besmirch Emmanuel Clase’s name. The MLB is conducting an investigation into sports betting activities, which means the league might not even be able to find any evidence to confirm there was any wrongdoing. However, Emmanuel Clase’s recent performances are a cause for concern and do warrant a once-over.
During the 2024 regular season, he was undoubtedly the best closer in baseball with a 0.61 ERA and a WHIP of 0.66. However, in the playoffs, he was dreadful, with a 9.00 ERA and a WHIP of 1.63. Those statistics don’t confirm that he is guilty of fixing games to win bets, but the optics are terrible. When the best closer in baseball, with five earned runs in 74.1 innings, allows eight earned runs in eight innings during the playoffs, something seems fishy.
Again, I want to emphasize that nothing conclusive has been found. Therefore, Emmanuel Clase should be considered innocent until proven guilty. But if the MLB does find that he placed wagers on games, then we could be witnessing the downfall of one of the best closers since Mariano Rivera retired.
