LAS VEGAS (AP) — Cleveland Guardians executive Chris Antonetti is taking the same approach he used when pitchers Emmanuel Klass and Luis Ortiz were placed on non-disciplinary leave with pay in July.
A few days after Claz and Ortiz were accused Amid allegations that they accepted bribes from sports bettors to throw certain types of passes to ensure successful bets, Antonetti is focused on helping the Guardians return to the playoffs.
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“I think from the beginning I was just trying to figure out what do we need to do next and what is the best thing to do?” Antonetti said Wednesday at a meeting of Major League Baseball general managers.
“Obviously there are a lot of things out of our control at this point. We're trying to focus on what we can and build the best Cleveland Guardians team we can.”
Ortiz pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, and both players maintained their innocence through their lawyers. Bettors allegedly made at least $460,000 from the rigged fields.
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In response to the scandal, MLB worked with its sports betting partners. introduce a limit of $200 on so-called microbets and remove them from express bets.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called on the Ohio Casino Control Commission to completely stop microbetting for specific players.
“I understand that this is a really difficult question,” said Antonetti, the Guardians president of baseball operations. “I appreciate the efforts of Major League Baseball and Governor DeWine to find a way to solve what we felt was a problem, so I hope this is a step in the right direction.”
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Prop bets also found themselves at the center of a scandal in the NBA. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested on October 24 and charged with in providing players with inside information about teammates' injuries and early retirements.
Team officials at general manager meetings this week said they were unsure whether more should be done to raise awareness of baseball's gambling rules, noting that the rules are posted in every clubhouse.
“We're having those conversations, a lot of them,” Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said. “It's not something that's ignored or not addressed repeatedly. How many times do you do that? I don't know how to answer that.”
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Agent Scott Boras said every player will be subject to even greater scrutiny in the wake of baseball's latest gambling scandal, and he advocates eliminating stock betting entirely.
“I think the players are worried about their integrity,” Boras said. “When a player takes the mound and throws a 55-foot ball, there's a question. There needs to be a system in place that doesn't allow for bets like that… You need to remove these products to make sure the players' integrity isn't being questioned.”
The Athletics recently had their own experience involving player participation and sports betting. Reliever Michael Kelly and three other players were reinstated June 5 after serving a one-year suspension for betting on minor league baseball. All four received the same punishment for betting less than $1,000 each.
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The A's, who recently completed the first of three planned seasons in West Sacramento, Calif., plan to move to Las Vegas in 2028.
“I can't help but think that the team in Las Vegas will be in the spotlight, and hopefully all the guys are taught to avoid that,” A's general manager David Forst said. “We had Michael Kelly at the club who was suspended for a year and we are very aware of these things.”
Playing without Clase (a three-time All-Star) and Ortiz, Cleveland rode a 15 1/2-game deficit to sweep Detroit and win the AL Central in July. Guardians were eliminated by the Tigers in the first round playoffs
“We didn’t have one guy that could offer us,” Antonetti said. “So we had to figure out how to make it (work).”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Mark Anderson, Associated Press
