MLB ace closer under gambling investigation after probe into teammate

OK, so it’s not the 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal.

The Cleveland Guardians are not being accused of throwing games.

Now, if you’re talking about bad judgment, with two pitchers potentially betting on baseball or having an association with known gamblers, we’re about to find out if they also threw away their entire baseball careers.

Guardians All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, considered one of the best relievers in the game and who certainly could have brought the Guardians a haul of prized prospects at the trade deadline, was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave on Monday through Aug. 31 as MLB launches an investigation of whether he violated the league’s gambling policy.

Clase joins his close friend, Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz, who was placed on paid leave July 3 after unusual gambling activity on two pitches that he threw far outside the strike zone in June this season. Gamblers wagered high amounts of money on whether those two pitches would result in a ball or hit batsmen.

It was during MLB’s investigation with Ortiz when Clase’s name suddenly surfaced. He was not under investigation at the time Ortiz was forced to take a leave of absence. Now, three weeks later, Clase is also under investigation for potentially gambling on games in which he performed, facing a lifetime ban if found guilty.

The Guardians said in a statement that “no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted’ by the investigation. It’s certainly possible that another player or employee surfaces in the gambling investigation, but the Guardians’ sentiments were echoed by MLB officials, who have no knowledge of improprieties involving players from any other team during this investigation.

Clase, 27, would be the highest-profile player since Pete Rose nearly 40 years ago if proven that he bet on baseball games in which he played. Rose received a lifetime ban from baseball in 1989 for gambling on Cincinnati Reds games when he managed. Rose died last September, but was reinstated by commissioner Rob Manfred, making him eligible to be placed on the Hall of Fame ballot.

Clase is a three-time All-Star and two-time winner of the Mariano Rivera award as the American League’s best reliever. He finished third in the Cy Young race last year with a 0.61 ERA, and his career 1.88 ERA is the second-lowest among relievers who have pitched at least 100 games.

Clase is in the fourth year of a five-year, $20 million contract. He is being paid $4.5 million this year with a guaranteed salary of $6 million in 2026 and $10 million club options in 2027 and 2028.

Guardians president Chris Antonetti addressed the team Monday afternoon and says that their players are well educated on the dangers of sports gambling in spring training, with signs on the clubhouse walls reminding them of the dangers and potential repercussions.

Certainly, no matter what the outcome of the investigation, it certainly is a gut-punch to the Guardians’ postseason hopes. They are 3½ games out of a wild-card berth and suddenly don’t have their closer for at least the next 4½ weeks.

“Two very good pitchers aren’t going to be available to pitch for us in the near term,’’ Antonetti told Cleveland reporters, “and so we have to assess how that impacts our thinking.”

For now, all the Guardians know is that two pitchers are under investigation for violating baseball’s No. 1 rule, with their careers in limbo if discovered that they were involved in any way with gamblers.

It was five years ago that Clase received an 80-game suspension for testing positive for Boldenone, a banned substance, delaying his Guardians’ career before leading the American League in saves three consecutive seasons.

Now, if found guilty, it abruptly ends his Guardians career, and begs the question heard ‘round baseball:

Who’s next?

Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.