Two Guardians Players Part of Huge Scandal Released on Half-Mil+ Bonds

One of the two Cleveland Guardians in the current MLB scandal was detained after arriving from the Dominican Republic.

Emmanuel Clase was taken into custody right after he arrived at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York from the Dominican Republic.

Clase promised to surrender himself after charges of conspiracy were brought against him.

On all the charges brought up against them, Luiz Ortiz pleaded not guilty, and he received a bond set at $500,000.

Following this, Ortiz was also instructed not to leave the following:  Ohio, Massachusetts, Long Island, or New York City.

After a non-guilty plea during his recent court appearance, the judge set Clase’s bond at $600,000, and he will be tracked by GPS.

Clase has been forbidden from leaving or gambling in New York and Ohio.

The two of them have had 4 federal charges brought up against them, which, if found guilty on all, could see them spend up to 65 years in prison.

The next court date has been set for December 2.

Both players have been given non-disciplinary paid leave with the possibility of receiving lifetime bans from the MLB.

How it Went Down

It is believed that Clase became a part of a scheme all the way back in 2023.

Clase is believed to have earned the bettors he had allegedly been colluding with $700,000.

Ortiz is assumed to have joined in 2025 after allegedly being bribed with $5,000 to throw a ball instead of a strike; Clase had received the same amount.

Due to having allegedly joined the scheme more recently, Ortiz had only bought the bettors $60,000.

The bettors themselves are believed to have made over $450,000.

The charges being brought up against the duo are wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. 

Cap for Bet Lowered

Following the charges against Clase and Ortiz, the MLB and sportsbooks have made an announcement that bets will be limited to $200 maximum.

However, bets such as these will not be allowed in parlays.

While parlays may not be considered as dangerous as other bets due to the large number of possibilities, they are still not to be underestimated.

Bets placed on the individual pitch of a player are riskier due to them only being controlled by one person, as well as appearing mostly “inconsequential” and needing more effort to be found IRL.