Trial date set for MLB pitchers accused in sports betting scandal

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz could face a jury in the spring, after a federal judge in Brooklyn set a trial date in their sports betting conspiracy case for early May.

Clase and Ortiz are accused of taking bribes to throw balls instead of strikes for bettors who placed “prop bets” on individual pitches through online gambling platforms.

Clase, 27, a star closer with a $20 million contract, has been involved in the scheme since at least May 2023, the feds say, and is accused of conspiring with gamblers for him to throw balls and slower, “slider” pitches instead of strikes and “cutters” on the first pitch of certain at-bats.

He brought Ortiz, 26, into the conspiracy this year and acted as a middleman between Ortiz and his accomplices, the feds allege.

Both men appeared in person in Brooklyn Federal Court Tuesday, where Judge Kiyo Matsumoto scheduled jury selection to start May 4, with a two-week trial starting soon after.

Prosecutors are in the process of turning over hundreds of gigabytes of discovery material, including search warrant results and information extracted from electronic devices, to the pitchers’ defense teams.

So far, the government has not made any plea deal offers, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Sherman said Tuesday.

Clase and Ortiz are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery count and money laundering conspiracy. Both have pleaded not guilty and are free on bond.

After the two players’ indictment last month, Major League Baseball set limits on the types of bets that can be placed through online betting, capping wagers on individual pitches at $200 and banning them from being included in multipart parlay bets.

The league suspended Clase and Ortiz in July and extended that leave indefinitely in August.

Neither man responded to reporters’ questions as they left the courtroom Tuesday.