MLB caps pitch-level bets after two Guardians pitchers indicted in game-rigging case

Major League Baseball announced Monday it is limiting certain types of sports wagers in the wake of indictments against two Cleveland Guardians pitchers accused of participating in a scheme to manipulate games for profit.

The move aims to protect the integrity of the sport and curb betting abuses.

Under the new rules, wagers on “pitch-level markets” are capped at $200 and are excluded from parlays across all MLB-authorized sportsbooks. These are the types of bets Cleveland relievers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are accused of manipulating to influence hundreds of thousands of dollars in wagers.

According to MLB, the restrictions affect sportsbooks representing 98% of the country’s betting markets.

“Effective immediately, all MLB Authorized Gaming Operators will cap wagers on pitch-level markets at $200 and exclude those bets from parlays,” the league said in a statement. 

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred described the limits as a safeguard “intended to mitigate integrity risks, and maintain the transparency and data access benefits that the regulated sports betting market provides.”

Clase and Ortiz face multiple federal charges, including wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy, according to prosecutors. Both players have denied any wrongdoing.

“There is no credible evidence Luis knowingly did anything other than try to win games, with every pitch and in every inning,” Ortiz’s attorney Chris Georgalis said in an email to CNN. “Luis looks forward to fighting these charges in court.”


Clase’s lawyer, Michael J. Ferrara, also stated that his client “is innocent of all charges and looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Both players have been placed on non-disciplinary leave for the 2025 MLB season amid the sports betting investigation. Ortiz appeared in federal court in Boston on Monday, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell released him on a $500,000 bond, restricted his travel to the local area, and required him to surrender his passport, according to the Associated Press.

The indictment alleges the pitchers conspired with co-conspirators to predetermine pitches in MLB games, allowing bettors to place fraudulent wagers. Clase’s involvement allegedly began in 2023, while Ortiz is accused of joining the scheme in 2025.

Prosecutors say Clase coordinated with bettors to rig proposition bets, leading to at least $400,000 in winnings, while Ortiz allegedly received $12,000 for intentionally throwing specific pitches, with bettors winning $60,000.

The indictments follow a string of similar federal gambling cases in professional sports, including arrests of NBA figures Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones last October. Both the MLB and NBA investigations are being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn.

If convicted on all charges, Clase and Ortiz could face decades in prison.