The placement of Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz on administrative leave in the middle of the 2025 MLB season came as a surprise to everyone, not just fans.
In the blink of an eye, the Cleveland Guardians lost an up-and-coming starter and their All-Star closer for an unknown amount of time, and their fate of ever returning to the big leagues certainly looks grim after being indicted by the Department of Justice, as the investigation is ongoing.
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Guardians GM Mike Chernoff recently did an interview with MLB Network Radio and talked about how big a surprise the news was to the players, front office members, and the entire organization.
“It was a shock, with the first one, especially with Ortiz, we found that out first in early July, and that was a complete shock, and it took everyone by surprise, and nobody sort of knew how to handle it,” explained Chernoff.
“And then the Clase thing happening several weeks later, you know, just with his status on the team, and how good he had been and how good our bullpen had been for the previous year and a half, especially with him. That was, oh, man, that was just a dagger… And our guys, I think, were starting to feel things like, ‘Wait a minute, he was doing what?’ You know, there was some questioning of what was actually going on.”
Jul 6, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) reacts after giving up a run on a wild pitch during the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Whatever feelings the players had in that moment, whether anger, frustration, or even confusion, were certainly warranted. But as Chernoff pointed out, they didn’t let that affect their play and success on the field, and that certainly deserves some recognition.
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Cleveland’s general manager made sure to highlight that fact, too.
Chernoff continued, “I will say this, though, it’s pretty incredible. I don’t know if you heard the stat from the day that Clase was suspended on, we had the best bullpen ERA in all of baseball, which tells you, despite the shock and despite how angry some of our players were about it, they really came together and phenomenal in getting through it.”
The Guardians faced an off-the-field controversy that hopefully no other players will have to deal with throughout their careers, but the front office was clearly impressed with how they handled it as a team.
Chernoff added, “The team really rallied behind it, though, and sort of, you know, figured out a way to get through it.”