MLB Commissioner to Cooperate with Senate Investigation into Gambling Scandal

MLB Pledges Full Cooperation with Senate Inquiry

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday that the league will cooperate with the U.S. Senate committee’s request for documents detailing gambling investigations. "We’re going to respond fully and cooperatively and on time to the Senate inquiry," Manfred said during a news conference at an owners meeting.

The sport has been rocked by a scandal involving Cleveland Guardians players Emanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, who are accused of aiding gamblers by taking bribes to rig pitches.

Senate Committee Demands Information

Sens. Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee sent a letter Monday to Manfred asking for information by Dec. 5. The committee is asking for responses to six questions by that deadline, seeking details on when MLB was made aware of the activity, the league's policies on sports betting, and records of any related investigations since January 1, 2020.

Details of the Alleged Pitch-Rigging Scheme

Both Ortiz and Clase have pleaded not guilty. Clase and Ortiz were arrested and appeared in federal court in New York last week. Clase, a three-time All-Star, pleaded not guilty to charges that he took bribes to help gamblers win money on his pitches. Ortiz also pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Officials said in the indictment that, from May 2023 to June 2025, Clase agreed with one co-conspirator to "throw specific pitches in certain MLB games" so that the bettors they were allegedly partnered with "would profit from illegal wagers made based on that inside information." Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme in June 2025.

The indictment said Clase conferred with one bettor to throw a ball on the first pitch of an at-bat when he was brought into games in relief, citing specific games against the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, and Boston Red Sox. Bettors allegedly won $400,000 from betting platforms on pitches thrown by Clase between 2023 and 2025. When Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme, the indictment said, he agreed to throw balls over strikes on certain pitches in exchange for bribes or kickbacks, leading to bettors winning at least $60,000 on his pitches in June 2025.

MLB's Response and New Betting Limits

Two days after the indictments were unsealed on Nov. 9, MLB said its authorized gaming operators will cap bets on individual pitches at $200 and exclude them from parlays. "We think the steps we’ve taken in terms of limiting the size of these prop bets and prohibiting parlays off them is a really, really significant change that should reduce the incentive for anyone to be involved in an inappropriate way," Manfred said.

Manfred said MLB’s internal investigation into the Cleveland pitchers didn’t have a timetable. Ortiz was placed on paid leave on July 3 and Clase on July 28. "We think that we should take advantage of the offseason to make sure that we conduct the most thorough and complete investigation possible," he said.

The indictment announcement came weeks after three NBA figures were swept up in an FBI operation involving illegal gambling. Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were among the more than two dozen arrested in the scheme.