Potential Phillies trade target Emmanuel Clase put on paid leave because of gambling investigation

We don't know who the Phillies will be trading for to bolster their bullpen before the July 31 trade deadline, but you can cross Emmanuel Clase off the list.

Clase — the star closer of the Cleveland Guardians — was placed on paid leave Monday, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan: 

BREAKING: Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of MLB's sports-betting investigation, sources tell ESPN.

Clase is the second Guardians pitcher on leave tied to the investigation, joining right-hander Luis Ortiz.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 28, 2025

Major League Baseball has put Clase on the list through Aug. 31. As Passan noted, he's joined his teammate Luis Ortiz on the list in what increasingly feels like it could be one of the biggest scandals in modern sports history. 

pic.twitter.com/4NaA6a5Vda

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 28, 2025

From a Phillies' perspective, though, this is a massive development just days before the trade deadline. Obviously, the Phillies aren't going to trade for a reliever that's on paid leave and could be facing significant discipline depending upon the results of this investigation. And if Cleveland was ever willing to considering trading Cade Smith — their top set-up man — they likely aren't now, because of Clase's uncertain future. That gives a team like the Minnesota Twins even more leverage if the Phillies want to pry away an elite reliever like Jhoan Durán or Griffin Jax. 

Clase, 27, won the Mariano Rivera Award as the best reliever in the American League a year ago, recording 47 saves and posting a minuscule 0.61 ERA across 74 games. For one of the greatest seasons that a relief pitcher has ever had, Clase was rewarded with a third-place finish in AL Cy Young Award voting. 

While Clase hasn't been as dominant this season, he's still finished an MLB-high 41 games, and has a 3.23 ERA and 2.67 FIP over 48 games. Couple that with a very team-friendly contract — he's set to make $6.4 million in 2026, with affordable $10 million club options for 2027 and 2028 — and Clase appeared to be a very enticing trade candidate for a bullpen-needy team like the Phillies. 

So much for that. 

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