Ex-Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz go to trial Monday on charges that they colluded with gamblers who made hundreds of thousands of dollars betting correctly on individual pitches. Their careers and possibly their freedom are at stake in the jury trial expected to unfold over the next month in Brooklyn federal court. Several professional baseball players, including catchers and baseball executives, are among witnesses likely to testify. Clase is the Guardians’ former closer while Ortiz was a starter when they were charged in November 2025. Both have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges and are on nondisciplinary leave from the club without pay.
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FILE - Cleveland Guardians' Emmanuel Clase leaves Brooklyn federal court, on Feb. 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
FILE - Cleveland Guardians' Luis Ortiz leaves Brooklyn federal court, on Feb. 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
AP
Infielder Teruaki Sato of the Central League’s Hanshin Tigers and right-handers Kaima Taira of the Saitama Seibu Lions and Hiromi Itoh of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in the Pacific League are entering Major League Baseball’s posting system and will be available to teams to sign as a free agent from Monday until Dec. 16. Infielder Si-Hwan Roh of South Korea’s Hanwha Eagles is entering the posting system and can sign as a free agent from until Dec. 1. Sato, a left-handed-hitting 27-year-old third baseman and occasional outfielder, hit .306 with 39 homers and 106 RBIs, winning the Central League’s Triple Crown.
AP
FILE - Team Korea's Roh Si-hwan is struck out during the exhibition game between the Team Korea and San Diego Padres at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, on March 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-Joon, File)
AP
FILE - Japan's Teruaki Sato hits a double during the eighth inning of a World Baseball Classic game between Japan and Australia, March 8, 2026 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
AP
FILE - Japan's pitcher Hiromi Itoh prepares to pitch during the six inning of a World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game against Japan, on March 14, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, FIle)
AP
Seibu Lions's Kaima Taira celebrates as he set a new Nippon Professional Baseball record with 39 consecutive scoreless games at a stadium in Fukuoka, southern Japan, on July 1, 2021. (Kyodo News via AP)
AP
Christian Walker of Houston and Matt Olson of Atlanta have each won their fourth Gold Gloves. Boston's Wilyer Abreu won his third consecutive fielding honor. The Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks led with three winners each. Boston's Ceddanne Rafaela and Arizona's Gabriel Moreno were among the repeat winners. First-time winners included Arizona's Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll. Other notable winners were Alex Bregman of the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees' Cody Bellinger. Voting involved managers and coaches, with a defensive index from the Society for American Baseball Research contributing to the results.
AP
The AL champion Tampa Bay Rays have exercised their $20 million option on ace pitcher Drew Rasmussen. Tampa Bay picked up its 2027 club option rather than pay Rasmussen a $500,000 buyout. The two-time All-Star can become a free agent after next season. Rasmussen earned a $5.5 million salary this year. The option price for 2027 increased from $8 million to $20 million because he remained healthy throughout the 2026 season and made at least 28 starts. The 31-year-old Rasmussen went 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA in 30 starts during the regular season, helping the Rays to an AL East title. He was 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA in five postseason starts as Tampa Bay won its third pennant before losing to Milwaukee in the World Series.