The sports corruption trial of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz and two co-conspirators was on Friday moved to a Nov. 2 date for jury selection.
The pitchers, who remain on paid leave, along with Robinson Vasquez Germosen and an at-large and as-yet-unidentified fourth co-defendant, were originally scheduled for trial on May 4 in the Eastern District of New York.
Clase and Ortiz each pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Clase is accused of manipulating the outcome of pitches to benefit gamblers over parts of 2023-25 seasons. Ortiz is accused of doing the same on just two occasions last season.
Pitchers in limbo entering 2026 season
Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto has yet to rule on whether Clase and Ortiz will be granted separate trials. Ortiz first asked for his own proceeding, claiming that his alleged participation was so minimal as compared to Clase, according to federal charging documents, that a joint trial would be prejudicial. Clase’s attorneys filed a response supporting the request. Later filings by federal prosecutors and Ortiz’s legal team prompted Clase to ask for his own trial, too, claiming that Ortiz’s defense strategy would in effect make his teammate a “second prosecutor.”
The rescheduling is a loss for Clase, who implored the court for a speedy trial in perhaps fanciful hopes that he could resume his career as one of the top closers in MLB upon a hopeful acquittal. His attorney asserted in a recent filing: “Mr. Clase’s need for prompt justice is heightened by the enormous, and perhaps unprecedented, prejudice he may suffer if his trial is delayed over his objection. Specifically, a delay could imperil Mr. Clase’s receipt of the approximately $6.4 million he is contractually owed in 2026 and the tens of millions more he would receive under a new contract reflecting his fair market value as one of baseball’s most dominant athletes.”
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