The Cleveland Guardians missed a big opportunity in 2025. Emmanuel Clase’s scandal didn’t only hurt the team on the field, but it may have also taken a big toll on their future.
Several reports suggest that this team was more than ready to part ways with their star closer. Then, disaster struck. He was placed on administrative leave because of his alleged involvement in the same sports betting scandal that had already cost them Luis L. Ortiz.
As a result, the Guardians just couldn’t trade Clase; there would be no takers. According to team insider Paul Hoynes, that may have cost them a massive haul at the trade deadline:
“They could have named their price [for Emmanuel Clase]. Contenders were hungry for closers at the July 31 trade deadline, and Clase was better than any closer that changed hands. The Yankees traded seven players for closers David Bednar and Camilo Doval. The Padres traded infielder Leodalis De Vries, ranked third by MLB.com among its top 100 prospects, and three other players to the A’s for closer Mason Miller and JP Sears,” Hoynes wrote when asked what the Guardians could have received in return for Clase.
Clase hadn’t been as dominant as always last season. He got off to a surprisingly poor start to the campaign, and while an injury may have been a factor with that, the Guardians seemed to be bracing themselves to move on from him before he fell off a cliff.
They already had a potential star for the future in Cade Smith, who rose to the occasion almost immediately after Clase was placed on administrative leave. Clase’s absence didn’t hurt the team that much in that sense, but it certainly feels like he could’ve given them either the pieces they needed to bolster their offense last season or some more young talent to build for the future.
Now, Emmanuel Clase isn’t likely to take the mound ever again. He may not even be a free man, all things considered.
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