When it rains, it pours for the Cleveland Guardians.
Just a couple of days before the MLB trade deadline, Emmanuel Clase was placed on administrative leave.
He’s tangled up in the same sports gambling investigation that Luis L. Ortiz was placed on leave for.
Whether he’ll return this season or not remains to be seen.
In the meantime, the team has to figure out what to do at the closer spot.
When asked about that, manager Stephen Vogt claimed that the team would wait and see how this situation plays out before making an official announcement:
“For now, we’re not going to officially name a closer,” Vogt said. “We need to see how this plays out. Emmanuel Clase is one of the best closers in the world, it’s hard to replace somebody like that. But these guys have faced the heart of orders in big spots.”
Of course, it’s hard to believe this situation will be cleared up any time soon.
Ortiz has been placed on leave since before the All-Star Game.
The most logical option would be to bump Cade Smith to Clase’s spot, but that would still leave a big void in the Guardians’ stellar bullpen.
Even so, chances are that they already had a plan in place.
Clase was the team’s primary trade chip, so they may have already planned for a scenario in which he wasn’t available.
Unfortunately, they won’t be able to get anything in return for his services.
For years, Clase has established himself as one of the best and most dominant hurlers in the game.
And even though he looked way more mortal this season, not having him on the mound in high-stakes situations will be a major concern for this team going forward, especially with the playoffs still within reach.
NEXT: Guardians Make Notable Jump In Latest MLB Power Rankings
