When it rains, it pours. Former Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was once one of baseball’s most dominant relievers. But the storm clouds that had already surrounded him appear to be getting darker.
According to Dayn Perry of CBS Sports, federal prosecutors have dramatically increased the number of games in which Clase is alleged to have manipulated pitches for the benefit of gamblers.
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Emmanuel Clase Accused of Pitch Manipulation in 48 Games
The original indictment against Clase listed nine instances in which suspicious pitch behavior was suspected of the right-hander. But updated court documents recently filed and reported on by Perry show the total has increased to 48 (!) games.
Per the Department of Justice, both Clase and fellow former Cleveland pitcher Luis Ortiz “agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types of pitches and speeds of pitches.”
The hurlers allegedly walked away with at least $450,000 in exchange for their cooperation with gamblers, according to prosecutors. They’re also citing that Clase’s alleged participation began in May 2023, with Ortiz joining in June 2025.
Both players deny the charges. When the indictment was filed in November, Clase’s attorney said his client “is innocent of all charges and looks forward to clearing his name in court” in a statement to CBS Sports.
How the Clase Investigation Started — and Where It Stands Now
Things moved quickly once MLB got wind of the situation. Ortiz was placed on administrative leave in June 2025, with Clase joining him right before the trade deadline in July. As mentioned above, it took until November for the formal federal indictment to drop, which was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Charges against both hurlers include wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy.
If convicted on all counts, both men could face up to 65 years in prison, which would be an eye-popping sentence if that happens. However, both pleaded not guilty and are still on administrative leave. MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins recently reported that Clase and Ortiz won’t report to Spring Training (which felt like a foregone conclusion, but still).
How Good Was Emmanuel Clase Before All This?
This is what sucks and where the “What could’ve been?” part comes into play. Before this all came down, Clase was among the league’s best relievers. He was nearing the end of a five-year, $20 million deal with Cleveland (which included team options in 2027 and 2028), and the right-hander was easily outproducing his paycheck.
A three-time All-Star and two-time Reliever of the Year Award winner, Clase led the American League in saves in each of the 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons (42, 44, and a career-high 47, respectively). His 2024 campaign was particularly special. Clase went 4-2 with those 47 saves across 74 appearances (74.1 innings). That was impressive, but it went to another level when you factor in his insane 0.61 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts.
That performance helped him take home his second Reliever of the Year Award, along with placing 11th in AL MVP Award voting and third in AL Cy Young Award voting behind Tarik Skubal and Seth Lugo. Clase also became the Guardians’ all-time saves leader when he passed Cody Allen’s record of 149 in August 2024.
That’s what makes a lot of this hard to process. The talent was undeniable, and while the Guardians signed him to a very team-friendly deal, one would imagine Clase was in line for an eventual payday as long as he stayed healthy (which is, of course, a big “if” these days).
The Topps Holiday Card That Hits Different Now
via Sports Cards Pro
And here’s what will make me shake my head and chuckle until the end of time. Topps released its 2025 Holiday Baseball set in October 2025 — three months after he went on administrative leave and a few weeks before he was formally indicted.
But he was still featured in the die-cut series called “Making the Nice List,” which honors 2024 statistical leaders. Since he led the AL in saves, Clase appears there as card MNL-15, getting the official designation from Topps as one of baseball’s “nice guys” of the year. And as we already established, Clase saved 47 games in 2024, so there’s yet another layer of intrigue to this.
The “Nice List” designation lands as one of the more ironic pieces of cardboard produced in recent memory. His 2024 numbers justified the inclusion when the set was designed. Nobody’s arguing that — he was a league leader in saves, so it’s pretty cut-and-dry. But the added context has a funny way of reframing things.
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