In November, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase was indicted by federal prosecutors in the MLB betting scandal. Later, he was arrested at JFK Airport.
Now, details are emerging to explain why Clase was reprimanded before his alleged involvement was known, per Evan Drellich and Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Clase had used his personal cell phone during the investigation.
“The Athletic has learned that MLB reprimanded Clase for impermissible cell phone use at least once before knowledge of the gambling issues came to light, according to two people briefed on his situation who were not authorized to speak publicly on the subject.”
“With limited exceptions for personal use … MLB rules also prohibited MLB players from utilizing cellular telephones during MLB games,” prosecutors wrote.
Overall, Clase is charged with conspiring with gamblers to fix pitches during games. In return, over $400,000 in winnings were allegedly accumulated. Clase, along with teammate Luis Ortiz, is charged with wire fraud and bribery.
The investigation also revealed that Clase had provided money and non-public information to bettors dating back to 2023. Ortiz joined the scheme this year.
Both Clase and Ortiz have pleaded not guilty.
2025 was the year gambling in sports took an ugly turn
When all is said and done, 2025 will go down in history as the year when sports betting took on a whole new dimension. It started with the FBI probe into illegal gambling activities in the NBA.
Prominent figures, including Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier, were indicted on similar federal charges. Sports and gambling have always gone hand in hand, especially in the baseball world.
The most well-known cases of gambling included the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, in which eight Chicago White Sox players were accused of conspiring with gamblers to throw the World Series. Then, there was the lifetime banishment of Pete Rose in 1989 after he later admitted to betting on games.
But 2025 alone has led to even greater scrutiny over the sanctity of the games.