Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were suspended from baseball in July for gambling-related issues, and now the full story is coming out. Not only are their baseball futures in serious doubt, but they are also facing legal issues — and potential jail time — for conspiring with gamblers to affect the outcome of plays during games.

Clase and Ortiz have been indicted by the federal government on multiple charges tied to allegedly rigging pitches thrown during Major League Baseball games, according to a 23-page indictment unsealed Sunday at a Brooklyn, N.Y., courthouse.

There are charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy related to a scheme to predetermine certain pitches that netted bettors hundreds of thousands in winnings.

Here's the latest on the story from Guardians Roundtable writer Tommy Wild.

Guardians Pitchers Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz Indicted Former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted on charges related to a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in MLB games.

Ortiz was arrested Sunday in Boston, and will appear in court Monday. According to law enforcement sources, Clase is out of the country.

According to the indictment, Clase conspired with gamblers to bet on whether his first pitch would be a ball or a strike. Dating back to 2023, Clase would get paid to throw a ball, and gamblers earned as much as $400,000 over time. Clase allegedly brought Ortiz into the scheme, as well.

“As alleged, the defendants sold that trust to gamblers by fixing pitches,” said Joseph Nocella Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in a statement. “In doing so, the defendants deprived the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball of their honest services.

"They defrauded the online betting platforms where the bets were placed. And they betrayed America’s pastime. Integrity, honesty and fair play are part of the DNA of professional sports. When corruption infiltrates the sport, it brings disgrace not only to the participants but damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us. Today’s charges make clear that our Office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who corrupt sports through illegal means.”

Agents for both players denied the charges, and claim there is no evidence of actual wrongdoing. 

Tom Brew is the National Editor-in-Chief at Roundtable Sports. You can follow him in Twitter (X) @tombrewsports

JOIN THE ROUNDTABLE TEAM: Please hit the JOIN button above (top right) to like our national homepage. It's all free, with no subscription. When you do, you can like, comment and share every story, and you can also join our "COMMUNITY'' section and create your own posts as well.