The Cleveland Guardians will not grant permission for suspended closer Emmanuel Clase to pitch in the Venezuelan winter league, according to a report by The Athletic.
Major League Baseball and its players association placed Clase on leave July 28 amid an ongoing sports betting investigation. It followed a suspension on July 3 for fellow Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz.
The suspensions were extended at the end of August and neither pitched for the remainder of the season.
Clase, 27, was looking to pitch in Venezuela after his home country of the Dominican Republic barred him from pitching for the Estrellas Orientales this offseason. Clase in turn filed a lawsuit against the Dominican league and its president, Vitelio Mejia, according to The Athletic.
Clase then attempted to hook on with the Tiburones de La Guaira in Venezuela’s winter league, but MLB’s agreements with various winter circuits largely prohibits players from competing for teams outside of their “native” country without consent from MLB and their club.
According to the report, the Guardians will not grant permission as long as Clase remains under investigation, which was prompted by reports of “suspicious wagering activity on Cleveland Guardians wagering events.”
Clase went 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA and 24 saves in 48 appearances this season. He led the American League in saves and made the All-Star team in each of the three previous campaigns and had a career-high 47 saves in 2024.
Clase is 21-26 with 182 saves and a 1.88 ERA in 366 career games (one start) with the Texas Rangers (2019) and the Guardians.
