Why Hasn't MLB Suspended Emmanuel Clase & Luis Ortiz Yet? It's Complicated

In the early days of this past offseason, it was reported by The Athletic that MLB "would prefer" to discipline Cleveland Guardians relievers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz before spring training began due to their involvement in a pitch-rigging scheme that resulted in federal charges.

Seemed logical at the time. There was no rush to impose probable lifetime suspensions for gambling with three months before pitchers and catchers would report to camps across Arizona and Florida. MLB could continue its investigation, gathering as much information as possible to ensure that proper discipline was applied.

That same article also said the government's involvement, due to the federal charges, could be a factor in the timing of any announcement. In recent high-profile cases that involved the legal system—Trevor Bauer and Julio Urias, as examples—MLB has waited out that process before punishing players with suspensions. Another player, Wander Franco, has yet to have any concrete MLB discipline as a result of the sexual-abuse charges in his native Dominican Republic. Franco is awaiting retrial on the charges after being convicted in June. That trial was recently delayed.

Clase and Ortiz, who were friends and had lockers next to each other, are currently on nondisciplinary leave from the Guardians, with that changing in late March from paid to unpaid. Clase, one of MLB's top closers, would have been entering the final year of a five-year, $20 million contract this season, although there were club options for 2027 and 2028. Ortiz would have been in his first year of arbitration eligibility in the recent offseason. Ortiz was the first of the two nabbed in this scandal, being put on the restricted list July 3, with Clase following July 28.

But here we are, in the second full week of the 2026 MLB season, and there isn't a resolution despite mounting evidence.

The original indictments against Clase and Ortiz, which came out in November, included charges of conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy for throwing pitches with a predetermined outcome to benefit bettors. That indictment was superseded in February to include additional instances of pitch-fixing, including one in the 2024 postseason. The top charge in this case can carry a 20-year prison sentence.

A trial was supposed to begin in May, but has been pushed back to November, just after the MLB season concludes.

Another complication in imposing discipline is that Ortiz is seeking to have his case separated from Clase's, with Ortiz's defense team claiming its client is a victim of Clase's actions. Clase's attorneys have supported separating the cases, while federal prosecutors oppose the move.

While MLB could be waiting out the legal process, which would come after the World Series and be the biggest baseball news event before the impending lockout, this could be a huge reason why a decision has been delayed. While there was (still is?) a friendship between the two Dominican pitchers, Clase was a superstar in the baseball world as a three-time All-Star and two-time AL Reliever of the Year, and Ortiz was an afterthought.

The number of instances in which Clase is alleged to have rigged a pitch has grown, too. In the first indictment, nine pitches were specified for the 2023 and 2025 seasons, excluding 2024. The updated indictment now includes 2024, including Game 1 of the NL Division Series vs. the Detroit Tigers. ESPN reported the number is now at 48 games based on a court filing by Ortiz's defense. Clase appeared in 197 games, recording 115 saves, from 2023-25. That means Clase allegedly threw a fixed pitch in about one-quarter of the games in which he appeared. A separate filing says there are 250 suspicious Clase pitches.

You never know why a player would even risk this behavior, especially when it appears that the reward for Clase and Ortiz was a rather minimal return for what they put on the line. We don't have the full picture of why they did this. There could have been debt involved, whether it is theirs or someone in their family. Clase has been known to be involved in rooster fighting in the Dominican Republic, and he used coded language related to roosters to confirm his actions in an upcoming game.

Based on what I have read about Ortiz's involvement, there seems to be a chance that he could receive a lesser penalty than Clase from an MLB perspective. Especially facing the type of prison time the charges could bring, perhaps 65 years each, Ortiz is likely singing like a bird to minimize any time behind bars, much less baseball punishment, and another reason why he wants his case split from Clase.

With that type of prison time at stake, does it make sense for MLB to levy punishment now or wait until court proceedings play out? The one danger MLB faces in prolonging any announcement is any further delays in the trial's beginning. As it stands, MLB can use a conviction as cover to levy suspensions against Clase and Ortiz. And that is probably the way federal prosecutors prefer this to play out. Any suspension and the related news coverage would impact the jury pool's thoughts on whether the players were part of a gambling scheme.

So if you are like me and wondering why MLB hasn't dropped the hammer yet, here are some reasons.