Overview
- Major League Baseball and the MLBPA agreed the pitchers will remain on non-disciplinary leave without pay until further notice, replacing the paid leave in place since July 2025.
- Both have pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court to conspiracy and related charges tied to alleged in-game pitch manipulation that prosecutors say yielded at least about $450,000 in gambling wins.
- The trial, originally slated for May, was postponed to November 2026, and the court is weighing defense requests for separate trials over prosecutors’ push for a joint proceeding.
- Team payroll is halted under the new terms; Clase was due about $6.4 million for 2026 and Ortiz roughly the major-league minimum, and a person familiar with negotiations said any MLB suspension would start retroactive to Opening Day with back pay if no discipline is imposed.
- MLB said it alerted federal law enforcement early in its probe and has asked sportsbooks to cap individual-pitch bets at $200 and exclude those wagers from parlays to reduce potential abuse.