Copyright Sports Illustrated
The Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase gambling situation just got a large update. On Wednesday, Nov. 12, it was announced that Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher, Ortiz, entered a plea of not guilty on the list of charges in the indictment. Clase, who remains in San Juan, Dominican Republic, but is expected to be in court on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 2:00 p.m. The two's court case is occurring in Brooklyn, New York. Both Clase and Ortiz will be allowed to travel to Long Island and New York, and must remain within those areas, Massachusetts or Ohio. They both were charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. These charges come from an alleged scheme to rig bets on balls and strikes thrown by the two. The top charges carry potential punishments with up to 20 years behind bars. According to ESPN, U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell in Boston granted Ortiz his release, but with several conditions. Ortiz must surrender his passport, restrict his travel to the Northeast and post a $500,000 bail with $50,000 being secured. After the court appearance, Ortiz and his attorney declined comments, however, a statement was released late last week saying Ortiz, "has never, and would never, improperly influence a game- not for anyone and not for anything.” As expected, he was told to avoid contact with anyone surrounding the case. That includes his former teammate Clase. With no new updates about Clase, the time is beginning to tick on him to appear in court and continue to legal process surrounding this case. It was also reported that the MLB hopes to have a decision on discipline by the beginning of Spring Training for the 2026 season. That start date is set for Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. A main reason for why it is important for the MLB offices to have a decision on both Ortiz and Clase is because Clase is set to earn $6,000,000 next season. If a decision is made and Clase is relieved of his playing duties, the Guardians' front office would be able to get out of paying him that large sum of money. In a statement late last week, the Guardians provided full support with the investigation. "We are aware of the recent law enforcement action," their release read. "We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue." For now, Cleveland turns their attention to free agency with hopes of rebuilding the roster with Clase and Ortiz currently out of the picture.
