Did Gambling Allegations Prompt Guardians to Dump Players at MLB Trade Deadline?

Two members of the pitching staff of the Cleveland Guardians are currently suspended as they face allegations in regards to an alleged sports betting betting scheme. The cloud hangs over the team as the 2025 season unfolds.

We don't know what will happen to Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase as they face potential disciplinary action from Major League Baseball.

But the fact that both pitchers are likely to be unavailable this season may have led the Guardians to dump talent at last month's trade deadline.

For the first time since sports betting became legal in much of the United States, a division race and the pennant race itself may have been impacted by a gambling scandal.

Allegations against Cleveland pitchers

According reports by major news sources, including ESPN, Ortiz and Clase are both suspected of having intentionally impacted so-called "micro-bets."

A micro-bet is a narrow game prop that is available to live bettors as they watch a game

Earlier this season, both Cleveland hurlers are alleged to have intentionally thrown balls on the the first pitch of an inning, a very specific prop bet some sportsbooks offer.

Both pitchers, who are reportedly close friends, are on indefinite paid suspension pending an investigative finding by MLB.

Federal authorities may also be involved in a criminal probe

The alleged violations by Clase and Ortiz were flagged by a sports gaming watchdog group that monitors suspicious behavior in sporting events and wagers placed.

Guardians chose to dump players at trade deadline

Ortiz and Clase were placed on suspension in early and mid-July. At the time, the Guardians were in fourth place in the American League Central. Following of the Ortiz suspension, Cleveland fell as far as 15 games behind the Detroit Tigers.

But remarkably, the team started winning following the Clase revelation a few days later.

By July 23, Cleveland was eight games behind the Tigers and in second place. The team was only 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. A few days later with the July 31 MLB trade deadline looming,

Cleveland general manager Mike Chernoff decided to be sellers. The team traded former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber to the Blue Jays, and even dealt reliever Paul Sewald to the team it was chasing, the Tigers.

The deals at the deadline were a clear white flag from the Guardians front office

It's hard to believe the team would have done so if Clase, arguably baseball's best closer, were active.

Amazingly, following the deadline, Cleveland sparked a winning stretch, claiming seven wins in eight games to start the month of August.

That success lifted the Guardians to within five games of Detroit, which was slumping.

On August 9, the Guardians were a half-game out of a wild card spot. But with the gambling accusations hovering over the team, it seemed a difficult task for the G's to harness an effort to push for the postseason.

As of August 18, Cleveland is three games back of a playoff spot.

What MLB may do about prop bets to quelch gambling controversy

Reactions to the alleged violations by Ortiz and Clase have been loud and swift. Critics of sports betting are crying foul, demanding severe action to secure the integrity of sports.

In Ohio, lawmakers are grappling with the possibility of banning prop bets outright (a move called for by Governor Mike DeWine) or prohibiting micro-bets like those in the Guardians situations.

A prop bet like whether a first pitch of an inning will be a ball or strike is difficult to police. A pitch outside the strike zone intentionally thrown by the pitcher is hard to prove.

Typically, the amount of wagers and money placed on a "first pitch outcome" prop bet is small. We may be made aware of transgressions only if sportsbooks and gambling data analyst companies notice unusual betting activity.

MLB itself may be hesitant to take strong action against sportsbooks or prop bets. Partnerships with FanDuel, DraftKings, Fanatics Bet and other gaming companies prove to be financial windfalls for the league.

That's because the risk of losing bets falls on the betting companies alone

MLB and its teams and broadcast rights holders receive money from betting sponsorships regardless of whether a baseball fan wins his bet or not.

The 2025 pennant race may have been impacted by the first significant betting scandal in baseball since sportsbooks began to become prevalent. For the health of the game, it's important that it be an isolated incident.