MLB Will Provide Gambling Investigation Documents to Senate, Commissioner Says

MLB President Rob Manfred confirmed that the league will “comply with a Senate committee’s request for documents detailing gambling investigations” involving Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz.

“We’re going to respond fully and cooperatively and on time to the Senate inquiry,” Manfred said during this week’s owners meeting.

Sens. Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, both members of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, made the request on Monday with a deadline of Dec. 5. That came in the wake of Clase and Ortiz being arrested for alleged spot-fixing and accepting bribes to manipulate pitches.

MLB subsequently announced that its authorized sportsbook operators will restrict the amount bettors can wager on individual pitches. Bettors will only be able to wager a maximum of $200 on those micro bets.

“We think the steps we’ve taken in terms of limiting the size of these prop bets and prohibiting parlays (on) them is a really, really significant change that should reduce the incentive for anyone to be involved in an inappropriate way,” Manfred said.

MLB’s internal investigation into the Cleveland pitchers is ongoing. Manfred said that there is no timetable, adding, “We think that we should take advantage of the offseason to make sure that we conduct the most thorough and complete investigation possible.”

Ortiz and Clase were placed on paid leave back in July, and they won’t begin to accrue additional salary until opening day on May 25. Both players were barred from playing winter baseball in their native Dominican Republic.

Commissioner Addresses Prediction Markets & Player Support

Manfred, who became MLB commissioner in 2015, has had to deal with all the fallout from gambling since the repeal of PASPA in 2018. Unlike predecessors such as Bud Selig, Manfred now faces the challenges that prediction markets might present.

Manfred stated that it was “too early to say whether MLB will take a stance on prediction markets, in which contracts are traded based on actual events such as game scores.”

“We’re well aware of the issues, the different regulatory framework, but not in a position where I want to articulate publicly a position on it,” he said.

Meanwhile, MLB continues to support players who have received gambling-related threats. In May, an overseas sports bettor made threats against Houston pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and his family.

“I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with,” McCullers said at the time.

Manfred noted that MLB works with law enforcement agencies in its efforts to safeguard players.

“We have had in place for some time services that are available to players that receive threats of this kind in terms of providing support through law enforcement,” he said. “We do take it as a very serious issue and do provide support on an ongoing basis.”