The Cleveland Guardians spent most of 2025 on edge. While their performance kept fans guessing, something else haunted the organization, too—the shadow of investigation hovering over their bullpen. Now, after months of uncertainty, the verdict has arrived on one of their highest-paid arms.

Emmanuel Clase, the Guardians’ $20 million closer, saw his 2025 season abruptly end in early July when MLB placed him on non-disciplinary paid leave. This made him the second Cleveland pitcher under scrutiny after Luis Ortiz. The club stated that only two players were involved, which showed that they were cooperating with the league’s investigation and that “no additional players or Club personnel are expected to be impacted.” The inquiry is said to be focused on possible infractions of MLB’s gambling rules, but the exact nature of the alleged conduct remained confidential as the league gathered evidence.

On Tuesday, insider Hector Gomez delivered a new update via X. “SOURCE: Emmanuel Clase will never pitch in MLB again. The gambling evidence found against him is irrefutable.” The statement ended months of speculation with a career-terminating conclusion. The league has not disclosed specifics about the evidence that led to the permanent ban.

The incident that ended his career traces back to June, when MLB’s betting-integrity monitors detected suspicious activity. The league’s probe expanded to include Clase after initial alerts surfaced regarding his teammate, Luis Ortiz, whose two pitches had landed well outside the strike zone in patterns that matched microbets on outcomes like “ball or hit batsman.” MLB moved quickly to investigate the situation. And here we are now!

As 2025 began, Clase was one of the best closers in baseball, having been an All-Star three times and the leader in saves thrice (2022, 2023, and a career-high 47 in 2024). This season, he played in 48 games and went 5–3 with a 3.23 ERA, 24 saves in 47.1 innings, and a 1.23 WHIP. He saved 182 games, with a 1.88 ERA over 360 innings, and won two AL Reliever of the Year titles throughout his career.

Clase even had a great 2024 season, with a minuscule 0.61 ERA and the most saves in the league.

Meanwhile, Luis Ortiz’s fate is still unknown.

But for  Clase, it’s the end of a great career in the most controversial manner.

The fallout from Clase’s absence, however, extends beyond one banned player. The clubhouse that signed Carlos Hernandez as Clase’s replacement has also dropped a surprising update.

Guardians’ relief picture blurs further as Hernández elects free agency

This season, Cleveland’s bullpen has been unstable, which has worsened the team’s internal stability, as well. While the Clase story made headlines, another problem was quietly growing in the clubhouse.

The Guardians’ effort to fill the gap behind Clase didn’t work out. Instead of stabilizing the relief corps, it swiftly fell apart. They signed Carlos Hernandez in late July as a temporary player, hoping he could help them in the late innings. But it didn’t match the expectations.

Hernandez came to Cleveland after playing for Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Detroit, and his career ERA was 5.14.  Even though he had a 97.7 mph fastball and club control until 2028, he had struggled with control and consistency.

Carlos had a 3.86 ERA in over seven innings with Cleveland, largely in low-leverage situations, before being sent on waivers. The club took him off the 40-man roster when they had to promote Parker Messick to fill a roster need. Now, he chose to become a free agent in October instead of going into the minor leagues.

This twist only adds to the chaos. The Guardians lost their Clase replacement just as they were trying to add depth to their bullpen.

The Guardians’ bullpen is in a state of crisis as they head into next season without their best closer and his replacement. Probably, winter will write the rest of the story…