Overview
- Major League Baseball and the MLBPA agreed Friday to place Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz on unpaid non-disciplinary leave until further notice, with MLB noting the action is not an admission of wrongdoing.
- Clase and Ortiz had been on paid leave since July 2025; the change means Cleveland is no longer paying their 2026 salaries, including roughly $6 million for Clase and a near-minimum figure for Ortiz.
- Both pitchers have pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court to conspiracy and related charges and remain free on bail.
- Prosecutors allege the players accepted bribes to influence specific pitches, yielding roughly $450,000 in winnings from more than 100 wagers on pitch velocity and on balls or strikes.
- The trial timetable has shifted from May to the fall, with jury selection reported for Nov. 2 as the court weighs joint versus separate trials, and MLB has asked sportsbooks to cap individual-pitch bets at $200 and exclude them from parlays.