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Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase has trade status twist due to gambling investigation
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- Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase has trade status twist due to gambling investigation
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The post Guardians' Emmanuel Clase has trade status twist due to gambling investigation appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Cleveland Guardians are entering MLB trade deadline week as potential sellers. One of the biggest names is closer Emmanuel Clase, who nearly won the Cy Young as a reliever last year. That has completely changed, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. He reported that the MLB has placed Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase on paid leave due to a gambling investigation.
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"BREAKING: Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of MLB's sports-betting investigation, sources tell ESPN," Passan reported.
If that sounds familiar, it should. "Clase is the second Guardians pitcher on leave tied to the investigation, joining right-hander Luis Ortiz ," Passan wrote.
Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave on July 3 , thanks to two pitches flagged for unusual betting activity. Clase has been placed on the same list, but there are no reports yet on how many pitches are under investigation.
The Guardians released a statement after the news was announced. They acknowledged the punishment and said they were "not permitted to comment further at this time, and will respect the league's confidential investigative process as we continue to fully cooperate."
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MLB announced that Clase would be on the list through August 31, which is the same date as Ortiz's release. The Guardians were already well out of the playoff race. Now, without their closer and without the ability to trade him, 2025 could be lost.
Clase had taken a significant step back in performance during the 2025 season. In 74 appearances in 2024, he posted a 0.61 ERA. This year, he has a 3.23 ERA in 48 appearances. That is the difference between five earned runs in 74.1 innings and 17 earned runs in 47.1 innings.
The Guardians can still trade other players before the MLB trade deadline, like Steven Kwan . But with this charge levied against him, Clase's outlook and entire season just changed.
Related: Why rivals call Guardians front office the 'Cleveland Grind Machine'
Related: Padres trade proposal lands Steven Kwan from Guardians
