Dodgers News: Possible Deadline Target Emmanuel Clase Placed on Leave
You can cross off Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase off your trade deadline wish list.
CINCINNATI, OH—The 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline is less than four days away, and contending teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers will look to add the final touches to their roster for the final few months of the season.
The Dodgers’ need for reinforcements at this deadline has been made apparent and confirmed by multiple MLB insiders, that the bullpen is high on the to-do list
However, one name that we can likely take off the board is Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, as the All-Star closer has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of MLB’s sports betting investigation, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
“The Guardians have been notified by Major League Baseball that as part of their sports betting investigation, Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave per an agreement with the Players Association,” the team said Monday in a statement. “We have been informed that no additional players or Club personnel are expected to be impacted. The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time, and will respect the league’s confidential investigative process as we continue to fully cooperate.”
The 27-year-old Clase has pitched 47.1 innings this year with a 3.23 ERA, which is considered a “down” season compared to his high standards. Over the past five seasons, he has maintained a remarkable 1.84 ERA across 336.2 innings.
Last season was a career year for Clase, who posted a 0.61 ERA, leading the American League in saves and finishing in the top three of American League Cy Young Award voting.
Clase was set to be one of multiple multi-year controllable bullpen arms potentially available at this year’s deadline, along with Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran.
Now, in an already overpriced relief pitching market, those prices have gone up exponentially with Clase now out of the trade picture.
On a much serious note, it’s the second player on the Guardians placed on paid leave as Clase’s teammate, Luis Ortiz, was the first (and thus far only other) player placed on leave under the ongoing investigation.
As online sports betting becomes increasingly accessible and popularized by the league, the ongoing conflict could intensify into a much larger issue if gambling were to be fully legalized and made as accessible as it currently is.
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