Cleveland Guardians shortstop Emmanuel Claeys and right-handed starter Luis L. Ortiz are charged with alleged violations of the rules of the game, including manipulating bets on individual pitches. United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced the charges on Sunday and unsealed the indictment at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn. Ortiz has already been arrested in Boston, and Claeys is not in custody. The Justice Department charged them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, conspiracy to influence athletic competition through bribery, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Claise's alleged actions date back to May 2023, while Oritz's actions began in June 2025. Moreover, Claise's actions allegedly benefited the players to the tune of $700,000, and Ortiz's actions allegedly benefited the colluding players to the tune of $60,000. In all, prosecutors say the players who conspired with the pair made at least $450,000 from the betting platforms. Claeys is alleged to have communicated with players via text messages during games.
If the couple is found guilty on all charges, they face up to 65 years in prison. Accusation reads:
“The charges in the indictment are accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy count, 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy count, five years in prison for the conspiracy to influence athletic competition through bribery count, and 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy count.”
Cool, 27, was one of two Guardians pitchers placed on administrative leave over the summer while the league investigated possible wrongdoing.. Ortiz had also been placed on leave a few weeks earlier. At the end of August, Claise and Ortiz's furloughs were extended through the end of the 2025 regular season.
“MLB contacted federal law enforcement early in the investigation and cooperated fully throughout the entire process,” the league said in a statement to ESPN. “We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing.”
The Guardians said they will “continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue.”
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According to the DOJ, both pitchers “agreed in advance with their co-conspirators that they would throw certain types of pitches and pitch speeds.” These co-conspirators then allegedly used this inside information to place bets.
“In some cases, the defendants received bribes and kickbacks… in exchange for rigging sites,” prosecutors wrote.
The indictment describes specific instances in which pitchers are alleged to have manipulated results in collaboration with players:
- Around May 19, 2023: Bettors allegedly made approximately $27,000 on Claise's pitch, which exceeded 94.95 mph.
- Around June 3, 2023: Bettors allegedly made approximately $38,000 on Claise's pitch, which was under 94.95 mph and counted.
- Around June 7, 2023: Bettors allegedly made approximately $68,000 on Claise's pitch, which was slower than 94.95, and scored the ball.
- Around April 12, 2025: Bettors allegedly won $15,000 on Claise's pitch, which was below 98.45 mph, and pinned the ball. The next day, Claeys allegedly asked one of the bettors who won money on the April 12 course to “send some of it to DR,” apparently referring to Claeys’ home country of the Dominican Republic, “for renovations on a vacation home.”
- April 26, 2025: Bettors allegedly won about $11,000 on Claise's course, which was slower than 97.95 mph.
- May 11, 2025: Bettors allegedly won about $11,000 on Claise's ball course.
- May 13, 2025: Bettors allegedly won about $3,500 on Claise's pitch, which was a ball that moved slower than 99.45 mph.
- May 17, 2025: This is one of the games in which Clays allegedly used his cell phone to coordinate with one or more players during the game. Players are said to have won approximately $10,000 that day on Claise's pitch, which was clocked below 97.95 mph and pinned the ball.
- On or about May 20, 2025: Claeys allegedly directed the player involved in the conspiracy to contact an associate, who subsequently directed the player to send $2,000 to an individual in the Dominican Republic.
- Around May 28, 2025: Bettors bet approximately $4,000 that Claise's particular pitch would hit the ball. The pitch appeared to actually be out of the strike zone, but the batter swung and missed for the strike. The indictment states: “Approximately 20 minutes after Bettor-I lost a bet on May 28, 2025, Bettor-I sent defendant a text message EMMANUEL CLAZ DE LA CRUZ – a .gif image of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. Even though the Cleveland Guardians won the game, about 10 minutes later CLASE responded to Bettor-I with a .gif of a sad puppy face.”
It is alleged that Ortiz joined Clayes' scheme in June 2025. Some of Ortiz's specific actions noted during the debate include:
- On or about June 15, 2025: Ortiz allegedly agreed to throw his first pitch in the second inning for a ball in exchange for $5,000 from Claise. This brought the two colluding players about $26,000.
- On or about June 27, 2025: Ortiz agreed to throw out his first pitch in the third inning for a ball in exchange for approximately $7,000. Bettors are said to have made around $37,000 off the field.
Ortiz has denied all allegations against him and said he will “never exert undue influence on the game – for anyone or anything.”
“Luis is and always has been a fierce competitor. He always gave it his all in every inning of every game. Those who played with him know that. And the government's investigation, including discussions with Louis' teammates, confirms that as well,” his lawyer told CBS Sports in a statement. “…There is no credible evidence that Louis consciously did anything other than try to win the game on every pitch and every inning. Louis hopes to fight these charges in court. The government's case is weak and circumstantial. He will defend himself and win.”
Ortiz's lawyer also said that all payments and money transfers were made “for legitimate business.”
Claeys, who had not pitched since July 26, appeared in 48 games before being deactivated. He accumulated a 3.23 ERA (130 ERA+) and a 3.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Baseball Reference calculates that his contribution was worth about 0.7 wins above replacement. Ortiz made 16 starts before his suspension, going 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA.
“Professional athletes like Luis Leandro Ortiz and Emmanuel Clace de la Cruz enjoy trust not only with their teammates and their professional leagues, but also with fans who believe in fair play,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement.
“The accused allegedly sold this trust to the players by installing the pitches. In doing so, defendants deprived the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball of their honest services. They defrauded the online betting platforms where the bets were placed. an institution that is vital and dear to all of us. Today's charges make clear that our Office will continue to vigorously pursue those who corrupt the sport through illegal means.”
As in all such proceedings, the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The indictment came just weeks after Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier has been arrested. as part of the NBA betting scandal. Rozier and his co-conspirators allegedly obtained inside information about the games, including which players were healthy and active, and passed it on to the players. More than $200,000 in bets were placed on Rozier's under line on multiple bets during the March 23, 2023 game, which he quit after playing less than 10 minutes. Damon Jones, a former NBA player, was also charged with passing on insider information, including about LeBron James.
Although sports gambling is legal across the country, MLB (and other leagues) have rules prohibiting certain behaviors. MLB, for example, does not allow bettors to bet on diamond sports, even those owned by other teams. In 2024, MLB banned the former San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for life and suspended four other players – Athletics right-handed Michael KellyPadres lefty Jay Groom, Philadelphia Phillies infielder Jose Rodriguez and Arizona Diamondbacks left-handed Andrew Saalfrank – after it was revealed that they were betting on baseball games that their teams weren't participating in.
Back in May Commissioner Rob Manfred reinstated some of the most notorious gambling rule violators in league history. – Pete Rose and several members of the 1919 Black Sox team from MLB's permanent ineligibility list on the grounds that the lifetime ban resulted in the player's death.
