CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians could use some relief from the betting scandal involving indicted pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, but relief is nowhere in sight.

The team will arrive in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday for the winter meetings to continue preparations for the 2026 season. But they still don’t know if they’ll have to pay Clase and Ortiz’s salaries for at least part of the 2026 season.

When news of the scandal broke last season, MLB placed Ortiz on non-disciplinary paid leave on July 3. Clase joined him on July 28. The Guardians, following an agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association, paid what remained of their 2025 salaries as if they were still helping them win games.

Ortiz was on a one-year $782,600 contract. Clase was in the midst of a five-year $20.5 million deal that paid him $4.5 million for 2025.

The two pitchers did not throw another pitch after they were put on paid leave. When the regular season ended, they were moved from paid leave to the restricted list. Ortiz and Clase, like all players, stopped being paid when the regular season ended. Unlike all players, they did not count on the 40-man roster, allowing the Guardians to use their roster spots on other players to get ready for the coming season.

On Nov. 7, a 23-page indictment was unsealed by prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney’s Office from the Eastern District of New York citing Ortiz and Clase for a number of gambling-related activities. Prosecutors said they were involved in a scheme that earned bettors an estimated $460,000 by throwing rigged pitches during games dating back to 2023.

According to the indictment, they each face a maximum of 65 years in prison for charges including wire fraud conspiracy, bribery and money laundering.

Here is the tricky part for the Guardians. After Clase and Ortiz pleaded not guilty and were released on bail, there was speculation that the impending court case could be settled before the start of the regular season.

Such a conclusion would allow MLB to complete its investigation and let Commissioner Rob Manfred decide if they violated MLB rules and what kind of discipline Clase and Ortiz would face. A lifetime ban for both pitchers is a possibility.

If Manfred did render a penalty, the Guardians, according to sources, would not be responsible for Clase or Ortiz’s salaries in 2026. Clase is scheduled to earn $6 million in 2026. Ortiz, meanwhile, would almost certainly remain on a one-year deal at or near the major league minimum of $780,000.

The frugal Guardians could use that money on different parts of their roster.

On Tuesday, however, U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto set a May 4 date for jury selection to begin. It would be followed by a trial that could last about two weeks in Brooklyn, N.Y.

It doesn’t seem like either side is rushing to make a deal, either. Matsumoto on Tuesday asked prosecutors if they wanted to offer plea bargains to Clase and Ortiz, but the prosecutors said no.

Now the question is, if Clase and Ortiz don’t go to trial until May, would Manfred wait on making his decision until there’s a verdict reached in the court case?

Cleveland’s regular season opens on March 26 in Seattle. Last season, they already dealt with the loss of Ortiz, a promising starter, and Clase, one of the best closers in baseball.

Now, if the same deal between MLB and the players association is put back in place when the 2026 season begins, they may have to pay the same two players for at least part of the season without getting anything in return … again.

The Guardians, who have been kept in the dark on a lot of this, deserve better from MLB. They rebounded last season to win the AL Central in stunning fashion. They are still operating at a deficit this offseason in filling the holes left by Ortiz and Clase.

The wheels of justice grind slowly, but if the Guardians are going to be responsible for Clase’s and Ortiz’s salaries for any part of the 2026 season, the sooner they find out the better.

Names to rememberRHP Triston McKenzie, who opened last season with the Guardians, is 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA in three starts for Aguilas in the Dominican Republic. He’s struck out 15, walked 12 and allowed seven earned runs in 11.2 innings.Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes, who got their start in the Guardians’ front office, are reunited in Colorado to try and turn the Rockies around. Former Guardians RHP Shawn Armstrong, coming off a good season with Texas, is reportedly looking for a two-year deal. Armstrong, 35, has pitched for four teams over the last two yearsLHP Tyler Zuber, who was in big-league camp with Cleveland in 2024, has signed a minor league deal with Miami.LHP Matt Krook, who made 30 appearances at Triple-A Columbus last year, has signed a minor league deal with the A’s.RHP Zach Plesac, a 10-game winner for the Guardians in 2021, has a 3.38 ERA in three starts for Magallanes in Venezuela this winter. He has not pitched in the big leagues since the 2024 season.