Cleveland Guardians All-Star pitcher Emmanuel Clase was released on $600,000 bond Thursday after pleading not guilty in federal court to charges related to an alleged sports betting scheme. The FBI took the 27-year-old into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after arriving from the Dominican Republic earlier in the morning.
Clase faces multiple federal charges, including wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. Prosecutors allege that Clase, along with Guardians teammate Luis Ortiz, accepted thousands of dollars in bribes to assist gamblers in the Dominican Republic.
According to the indictment, bettors won at least $460,000 through wagers on the speed and outcome of pitches thrown by Clase and Ortiz, including pitches intentionally thrown in the dirt.
A three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year, Clase is currently in the fourth season of a $20 million, five-year contract with the Guardians. Prosecutors say his involvement in the scheme began in 2023, when he provided inside information to bettors, and continued into 2025, with payments ranging from $5,000 to $7,000 for persuading Ortiz to throw certain pitches.
In one incident in April, Clase allegedly spoke with a bettor by phone before taking the mound, after which the bettor won $11,000 on a wager predicting the speed of Clase’s pitch.
During his arraignment, Clase appeared in a dark blazer and jeans and spoke minimally through a Spanish interpreter. U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo ordered Clase to surrender his passport, refrain from gambling, and submit to GPS monitoring, citing Clase’s significant financial resources and ties to the Dominican Republic as flight risk factors.
Clase’s attorney, Michael Ferrara, argued against location monitoring, stressing that Clase voluntarily returned to the U.S. to face charges rather than forcing extradition proceedings.
The league placed Clase and Ortiz on nondisciplinary paid leave in July 2025, when it began investigating unusual betting activity during their appearances on the mound. MLB has since implemented new restrictions, including caps of $200 on wagers tied to individual pitches.
The court will have Clase and Ortiz return on December 2 for a status hearing.. Both players deny the allegations, with their attorneys maintaining that any payments exchanged were for lawful purposes.
The case epitomizes the latest high-profile federal gambling investigation to impact professional sports, following recent arrests of NBA figures and past MLB suspensions tied to betting violations.
