Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz face May trial date in gambling case
NEW YORK — Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz face trial in May on federal charges that they accepted bribes to help players bet on their pitches.
U.S. District Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto said Tuesday that jury selection would tentatively begin May 4 in Brooklyn federal court, with the trial beginning the following week or earlier.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Sherman told the judge during the brief hearing that prosecutors anticipated the trial could last two weeks.
He said the two sides have been in discussions since the pitchers’ arrest last month, but have not yet talked about a possible plea deal in the case to avoid a trial.
Matsumoto had initially proposed a February trial date, but prosecutors and defense attorneys insisted it start in the spring.
Sherman said prosecutors this week began providing defense attorneys with evidence and other documents in anticipation of a trial, including hundreds of gigabytes of files taken from a number of electronic devices.
Clase, Ortiz and their attorneys declined to comment outside the courtroom. They are due back in court on January 15.
Both men have been free on bail since pleading not guilty last month to wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to corruptly influence sporting competitions.
According to prosecutors, the two men accepted thousands of dollars in bribes to help two anonymous gamblers in their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on bets placed on the speed and outcome of their throws.
Prosecutors allege Clase, the Guardians star, began providing bettors with information about his pitches in 2023, then recruited Ortiz into the program earlier this year.
The men’s lawyers have denied the accusations. Ortiz’s lawyer argued that payments between his client and individuals in the Dominican Republic were for legal activities and not payments.
Clase, 27, is a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year. He is in the fourth season of a five-year, $20 million contract.
Ortiz, 26, earned a salary of $782,600 this year as a starting pitcher for Cleveland.
Both pitchers have been on non-disciplinary paid leave since July, when MLB began investigating what it called unusually high in-game betting activity when they pitched.
The Guardians open spring training in February. The team’s home opener will be April 3.
