Rojas, who turns 33 this offseason, has played in 83 big league games with the Los Angeles Angles. In 61 games in 2021, Rojas had a .676 OPS with six home runs, 15 RBI, 14 doubles, and 26 runs scored.
He played 22 games in the majors in 2022 for the Angels, and has bounced around a bit since then, including a stint with the Doosan Bears of the KBO in 2023.
Rojas also spent a couple of stints in the Yankees’ minor league system, including this past season, when he slashed .287/.379/.599 with 32 home runs and 105 RBI in 124 games.
Rojas has eclipsed the 20 home run mark four times in the minor leagues and has 145 career minor league round-trippers.
Kurtz, the ninth Rookie of the Year in Athletics franchise history and first since pitcher Andrew Bailey in 2009, beat out his A’s teammate, shortstop Jacob Wilson, and Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony for the award.
Kurtz, whom the Athletics selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, absolutely raked over his first 117 big-league games after being the sixth-fastest player to reach the majors in franchise history following his promotion from Triple-A Las Vegas on April 23.
The Lancaster, Pennsylvania native and Wake Forest product led all rookies with 36 home runs, 86 RBI and a 5.4 WAR while slashing .290/.383/.619 with a 1.002 OPS and 63 walks. Kurtz, too, led all first basemen in OPS while joining Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge as the lone players with at least 400 plate appearances to finish with an OPS over 1.000.
Kurtz hit several monster homers this year, including a 493-foot grand slam and some walk-offs. But the performance that solidified the 22-year-old’s rookie-of-the-year status came on July 25 in the A’s 15-3 win over the Houston Astros at Dalkin Park.
Then, he became the first rookie to hit four homers in one game en route to finishing with 19 total bases, eight RBI and six hits.
The only true competition Kurtz faced for AL Rookie of the Year was, ironically, his own A’s teammate: shortstop Jacob Wilson.
Wilson led all rookies with 174 hits and slashed .301/.348/.424 over 153 games. He tied with Bo Bichette for MLB’s second-best batting average in baseball behind Judge (.331).
Kurtz, meanwhile, earned other rookie-of-the-year nods from Baseball America and The Sporting News. He also earned the AL Silver Slugger Award for his position and was named the AL’s “Most Outstanding Rookie” by the MLB Players Association.
There is one MLB free agent that has strong ties to the Giants, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he landed in San Francisco this winter.
Veteran starting pitcher Max Scherzer will become a free agent after his one season with the Toronto Blue Jays, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported in his latest column that some anticipate the 41-year-old signing with San Francisco.
“Some in the industry expect Scherzer to land with the San Francisco Giants, reuniting with new manager Tony Vitello, his pitching coach at Missouri in the mid-2000s,” Rosenthal wrote. “A return to Toronto also might be an option. Scherzer, like virtually all of the Blue Jays, speaks with great fondness about the unique bonds the players and their families forged last season.”
In 17 starts for the American League pennant-winning Blue Jays, Scherzer posted a 5.19 ERA with 82 strikeouts and 23 walks in 85 innings pitched. The three-time Cy Young Award winner then played a key role in Toronto’s rotation throughout the MLB playoffs, posting a 3.77 ERA in 14 1/3 innings pitched.
Scherzer, similar to fellow future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Justin Verlander, who the Giants signed to a one-year contract last offseason, likely will command another one-year deal this winter.
If the Giants once again are looking to add another veteran presence to their rotation, perhaps Scherzer makes the most sense.
Signing Bo Bichette as a pricey free agent doesn’t exactly jibe with David Stearns’ run prevention vision for the Mets' offseason. But adding the elite hitter to play second base certainly would enhance the club’s run production – wait until you see Bichette’s numbers with runners in scoring position – and jolt the core, if such a thing is top of mind in Queens.
So should the Mets look at bringing in Bichette, who turns just 28 in March, as a big-splash move? Or are there too many complications in what already needs to be a hyper-busy winter?
After all, there is much pitching work to be done, both in the rotation and the depleted bullpen, as well as finding more offense, figuring out center field, and retaining (or not) Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of signing Bichette…
PROS
Plain and simple, Bichette, who has spent his entire career with the Blue Jays, is a hitter. His .294 career average is fifth among active players and he batted .311 in 2025, second in the AL to Aaron Judge. He was one of only seven qualified MLB hitters to bat .300 or better. Bichette played in 139 games and had 181 hits, which was also second in the league. He’s led the AL in hits twice and finished in the top six in batting three times.
He’s got extra-base pop, too – he had 44 doubles (second in the AL) and 18 homers last season and has hit as many as 29 home runs in a season.
Bichette also appears to be evolving as a hitter, trimming his strikeout rate while increasing his walk rate. He had a down year in 2024, but got his strikeout rate down to 19 percent, at the time the lowest of his career. As he soared in 2025, he got his K-rate to 14.5 percent, by far the best of his career and well below the MLB average of 22.2 percent.
He’s below-average at walking, but his 6.4 percent rate in 2025 was the best of his career.
Whatever you believe about the clutch gene, Bichette seems to have it. Had Game 7 of the World Series ended differently, they’d be writing songs in Canada about Bichette’s early three-run homer off Shohei Ohtani.
In 2025, Bichette led all qualified MLB hitters in average with runners in scoring position (.381) and had a 1.053 OPS in those situations, which was third-best. Lifetime, Bichette has batted .330 with a .904 OPS -- a long track record of production.
For all the handwringing last year over the Mets and RISP, they batted .260 (eighth in MLB) with an .805 OPS (third). Adding Bichette, obviously, would figure to be a boost in that department, as well as the offense overall.
/ Oct 31, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Bo Bichette (11) throws out Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) in the sixth inning during game six of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre.
Bichette was on a two-month heater when he hurt his knee in September, which kept him out of the postseason until the Fall Classic. He was hobbled in the World Series, but still produced, going 8-for-23 (.348) with six RBI. Give him points for clutch, give him points for grit.
He also showed a willingness to switch positions. With Andrés Giménez starting at shortstop, the only defensive position Bichette has ever played in the majors, Bichette played second base five times. He looked comfortable there, perhaps foreshadowing his next role.
CONS
Is second base really a need for the Mets? They seem to have plenty of options, including Jeff McNeil, who had 79 appearances there last season. Luisangel Acuña, Ronny Mauricio, and Brett Baty could figure into the position as well. Plus, one of the Mets’ best prospects, infielder Jett Williams, would fit nicely there, too.
Signing Bichette likely blocks the advancement of those players. But who knows what chain reactions could follow, should the Mets add Bichette.
If the Mets do want to change their core and they signed Bichette, they could move McNeil in a trade. But they could also switch up the core by letting Alonso depart as a free agent, which, theoretically, would also help run prevention, assuming their new first baseman is a better defender than Alonso.
Bichette got the $22.025 million qualifying offer from Toronto, which he is sure to reject, meaning the Mets would lose their second-and fifth-highest selections in the 2026 MLB Draft if they sign him (or another player who rejects the QO). Bichette has also said he wants to remain in Toronto and, while that could be the typical free agent-speak, he and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. --two homegrown stars taking another run at a World Series title -- is a narrative with a nice, ahem, ring to it, no?
Then there’s the cost. Bichette should get a big contract and the Mets have to spend first on pitching, don’t they? MLB Trade Rumors estimated Bichette would get $208 million over eight years, and ESPN predicted a five-year, $130-million deal. Both would be for $26 million per year.
VERDICT
Signing Bichette would be a bold stroke of roster construction by the Mets and also trigger other moves that would significantly reshape the team. That could be just what the Mets need after the crushing disappointment of the 2025 season.
Bichette’s mega-hits profile would add significant depth to a lineup that sometimes struggled beyond the "Fab Four" last year. That sounds pretty appealing, too.
Maybe it’s just fun to think about. But it’d be fun to see if the Mets could make it jell with run prevention.
Add another intriguing name to the list of high-end starting pitchers who will be available this offseason as the Mets seek to fortify their rotation.
Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai, 27, will be posted by the Seibu Lions, and his posting paves the way for him to ink a deal with an MLB club in December.
Imai is coming off a huge season for the Lions.
In 163.2 innings over 24 starts, the right-hander had a 1.92 ERA and 0.89 WHIP while allowing just 101 hits and striking out 178 -- a strikeout rate of 9.8 per nine.
Over eight seasons pitching for Nippon Professional Baseball, Imai has a 3.15 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. But he has reached another level over the last four seasons, posting earned run averages of 2.04, 2.45, 2.34, and 1.92.
Imai's stuff is considered plus. It includes a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and can reach 99 mph. He also has a splitter, slider, and cutter.
While he isn't viewed by evaluators as the kind of can't-miss ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto has become since making the transition from Japan to the majors, Imai is nevertheless expected to get a relatively massive payday.
Imai will be the crown jewel when it comes to pitchers coming from Japan. As far as the MLB free agents, they include Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, Ranger Suarez, and Michael King.
Of those four pitchers, Cease -- a 29-year-old with swing-and-miss stuff who eats innings -- could be the best fit.
As New York decides which way to go this offseason as the rotation is bolstered, it's fair to believe they have three pitchers penciled into their rotation at the moment -- Sean Manaea, Nolan McLean, and Clay Holmes.
Other options include Kodai Senga (who could be a trade candidate), David Peterson (entering his final season of arbitration), Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman will head to the annual MLB GM Meetings, taking place in Las Vegas this week and speak to reporters for the first time since New York was ousted in the ALDS by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Many could see the 2025 season as a failure for the Yanks, after making it to the World Series a year prior, so Cashman and his front office will have plenty of questions to answer about how he plans to get New York its first championship since 2009.
It won't be easy, of course, as the Blue Jays and other American League upstarts like the Red Sox and Mariners are waiting to take their shots this offseason and in 2026.
Don't expect Cashman to lay his cards on the table at the GM Meetings. But we can glean something from when he speaks, whether it's about the needs of the team or where current players are on the depth chart.
Here are five questions Cashman should be asked this week...
One of the many questions Cashman received during his end-of-season news conference was about shortstop Volpe.
The third-year infielder had a difficult 2025, which -- whether manager Aaron Boone admits it or not -- was impacted by his injured shoulder. Volpe has since undergone surgery and will look to man the shortstop position when he returns sometime during the season. However, is Volpe's role as the starting shortstop in hand?
Cashman didn't commit to the shortstop position back in October, but he said he believes in Volpe and that there is still growing to do.
“I believe in the player, still. I think we believe in the player,” Cashman said. “It doesn’t mean that we don’t play with, on any level, all aspects of roster assessments. He’s 24 years old. I don’t think New York’s stage is too big for him, I just think he’s still finding his way. The age is something that there’s a lot of value to reminding yourself about.”
Jose Caballero is on the roster and probably has an inside track to break camp as the starting shortstop, but there are some intriguing options like Bo Bichette available.
Sep 3, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) runs to first base on a single during the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Cashman has had some great trade deadline deals the last few seasons, and the addition of Chisholm in 2024 helped the team make it to the World Series. In Chisholm's first full season in pinstripes, he was even better, having arguably his best offensive season en route to an All-Star selection and a Silver Slugger.
But does that mean Cashman has the stomach to have extension talks with his infielder?
Chisholm will enter the final year of his contract in 2026, but an extension could buy out his final year of arbitration and keep the 27-year-old in the Bronx for a long time.
Cashman, however, is not one to give out extensions. But he should be asked if Chisholm is an exception, especially after the production he's provided and how selfless he's been, playing third base whenever asked.
What's the plan for the outfield?
Aaron Judge is the only name Boone can write in as a starting outfielder next season. Cody Bellinger opted out of his contract and will explore free agency, and Trent Grisham's contract also expired -- though the Yankees extended him the qualifying offer.
Cashman needs to fill out left field and center field, so what is his plan for them this offseason? The qualifying offer shows the Yanks are willing to bring Grisham back, but it doesn't guarantee his return. And then, how hard are they going to try and re-sign Bellinger? The former NL MVP had a great first season in the Bronx and said he'd welcome a return.
There's also the bevy of free agent outfielders, like Kyle Tucker, who are available. We don't expect Cashman to give away which of the outfielders he wants the most, but perhaps a hint of where he's leaning could be gleaned.
New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones (78) celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning during spring training at BayCare Ballpark / Nathan Ray Seebeck - Imagn Images
Speaking of the outfield, the Yankees have two youngsters who could fill one -- or both? -- spots to start the 2026 season. Dominguez made the team out of spring training in 2025, but the young switch-hitter had growing pains at the plate and in the outfield. Once a highly-touted prospect, Dominguez's first full season in the bigs did not go the way the team had hoped.
It also didn't help that Grisham simply outplayed the youngster, taking away precious at-bats while New York was in the midst of maintaining a playoff spot.
Cashman should be asked if Dominguez is a part of their plans and whether he has the stomach to deal him.
And then there's Jones. The young slugger burst out in the minors last season, going on a power tear through Double-A and Triple-A. Cashman said that Jones "put himself in the conversation" of making the Opening Day roster, but how true is that? Also, is Jones a trade candidate if the outfield spots are filled up with external signings?
This could be the best time to trade Jones, whose stock has never been higher.
Do the Yankees have enough pitching to withstand injuries?
The Yanks will be without Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt and Carlos Rodon to start the 2026 season. While the team has viable arms, do they have enough to get through a 162-game season?
Max Fried will anchor a starting rotation that will likely include Luis Gil, Will Warren, and Cam Schlittler. That's a lot of question marks that need to be answered.
The Yankees can sign a free agent starter like Dylan Cease, Michael King or Zac Gallen to help their bludgeoned rotation, which would possibly clear the way for them to trade some of their young arms.
Cashman is always candid when it comes to pitching, in that he can never have enough of it. Perhaps that's the case this offseason, and Cashman should answer that.
Back then, Stearns was blunt about how the Mets handled their in-season pitching woes (he said they should've done more) and repeatedly stressed the need for the club to improve its run prevention.
Stearns obviously won't lay out an exact blueprint regarding what the team plans to do this offseason, but his availabilities are generally candid and forthcoming, which makes his upcoming comments at the GM Meetings something to keep an eye on.
Here are five questions Stearns should be asked as things start to percolate...
Alonso and Diaz opted out of their contracts last week. And with free agency now open, they can sign with any team. In the case of Diaz, the Mets extended a qualifying offer that he will almost certainly reject.
The negotiation with Alonso last offseason was drawn out and didn't end until early February, when he agreed to a two-year deal worth $54 million that contained an opt-out after the first year of the deal.
First base options on the free agent market include Cody Bellinger, Josh Naylor, and Japanese stars Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto.
When it comes to Diaz, who opted out of the final two years and roughly $40 million on his deal, it's possible he can be brought back by in effect tacking two years onto that contract at a similar average annual value.
With the Mets not having an in-house closer option, bringing Diaz back makes all the sense in the world.
Sep 19, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Brandon Sproat (40) follows through on a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
What is the team's appetite for trading top prospects?
In Stearns' first year at the helm, which began during the 2023-24 offseason, he made it clear that the Mets trading any of their most prized prospects at that point was unlikely.
After struggling while getting sporadic playing time over his first two full seasons in the majors, Brett Baty got a long look at third base this past season. And he excelled.
In 432 plate appearances over 130 games, Baty slashed .254/.313/.435 with 18 home runs, 13 doubles, and two triples.
If Mark Vientos remains with the Mets for 2026, it's safe to believe he would be viewed as mainly a designated hitter option. That would seemingly leave Baty as the starter at the hot corner. But are the Mets prepared to hand him the job?
Stearns spoke a bit during his end-of-season news conference about the possibility that the offensive core could be shaken up. If Alonso leaves, perhaps that shakeup comes at first base. If Alonso stays, the easiest way to jolt the offensive core could be by making a big addition at either second base (Bo Bichette?) or third base.
When it comes to third, free agent Alex Bregman could be a nice fit, with him able to bring a plus bat, plus defense, and leadership.
Carson Benge and Jett Williams / Imagn Images/Envato Elements/SNY Treated Image
What's the plan in center field?
The Mets had serious issues in center last season.
Jose Siri suffered an early injury that kept him out for most of the year (and was DFA'd shortly after returning), Tyrone Taylor was strong defensively but had the worst offensive year of his career (70 OPS+), and trade deadline acquisition Cedric Mullins hit .182 with an OPS+ of 62.
Taylor is arbitration-eligible in 2026 and slated to make roughly $3.6 million, so it's safe to think he'll be back. But he's better suited as a backup.
If the Mets view Carson Benge or Williams -- who both ended the 2025 season with Triple-A Syracuse -- as the future in center, it's possible that future will arrive at some point during the first half of the 2026 season.
If the Mets decide to go the free agent route for a short-term answer, options they could explore include Harrison Bader.
Will the Mets consider free agents who have qualifying offers attached?
As a team that exceeded the luxury tax in 2025, the Mets' penalty for signing a player attached to the QO would be relatively severe, with them losing their second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2026 MLB Draft as well as $1 million from their international bonus pool.
Bichette, Dylan Cease, Kyle Schwarber, Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez, and Ranger Suarez were all tagged with -- and will reject -- the QO.
Of those players, the ones who make the most sense for the Mets are arguably Cease, Bichette, and Schwarber.
And it's hard to make a case against the Mets chasing any of those players, even with the associated penalties.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Sunday that Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and conspiracy to commit money laundering, for allegedly rigging bets through their pitching in MLB games.
According to prosecutors, the alleged victims of the fraud are sports betting platforms, the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball (MLB).
The charges follow similar ones recently brought against Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Hall of Fame player Chauncey Billups, and former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones, who have all been accused of participating in fraud tied to sports betting or poker.
According to an indictment unsealed by U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr., for the Eastern District of New York, Clase began conspiring with an unnamed bettor in May 2023. Clase is accused of informing the bettor about the types of pitches he would throw in games—such as a slider on the first pitch or pitches slower than 95 miles per hour. The bettor allegedly relayed that information to others, enabling them to place bets and parlays based on Clase’s pitching. Clase then acted accordingly, including when the Guardians played the Minnesota Twins on June 3, 2023. In that game, Clase allegedly threw a slider into the dirt “well before home plate,” as described in the indictment, to ensure a bet was successful.
Clase, 27, is also accused of receiving kickbacks from the conspirators and violating MLB rules by using his cell phone during games to coordinate with bettors. The indictment details alleged texts sent by Clase and his co-conspirator during games, including messages where Clase asked if the bettor was “ready” before intentionally throwing a pitch into the dirt.
The indictment also refers to Clase electronically transferring money to a bettor. In addition, he was allegedly caught on camera by bank security withdrawing approximately $50,000 in cash from a bank on June 27, 2025.
Ortiz, who allegedly joined the criminal scheme in June 2025, faces similar allegations. Like Clase, the 26-year-old pitcher is accused of agreeing to throw certain pitches in exchange for payment. Ortiz also allegedly sent incriminating text messages and participated in electronic transfers of funds.
Further, Ortiz and Clase are depicted as coordinating the conspiracy. For example, on June 19, 2025, Clase allegedly sent Ortiz a photograph of a receipt for a wire transfer of approximately 90,000 pesos (roughly $4,900 under current exchange rates), along with an audio message instructing Ortiz to get his associates in the Dominican Republic to lie about the purpose of the funds.
Ortiz was allegedly directed to say, “this payment is for a horse. Payment for a horse. You got that?” to which he reportedly replied, “Okay, perfect.”
Clase and Ortiz are described as receiving $5,000 payments for throwing rigged pitches or arranging for them to be thrown—a modest sum compared to their salaries. In 2022, the Guardians signed Clase to a five-year deal worth $20 million. Ortiz earned $782,600 in 2025, per Spotrac.
Participating in bets is strictly prohibited by MLB, specifically under Rule 21, which calls for a lifetime ban of any player, manager, or coach who bets on their own team. Last year, MLB imposed such a ban on San Diego Padres third baseman Tucupita Marcano, whom MLB found had placed nearly 400 bets on baseball from 2022 to 2023. Clase and Ortiz had already come under MLB scrutiny for their suspicious pitches, with both being placed on non-disciplinary paid leave in July as the league investigated.
However, Clase and Ortiz are not in trouble with the Justice Department for betting or merely attempting to fix the outcome by throwing errant pitches. Their alleged crime focuses on fraud and advancing a fraudulent conspiracy through electronic transactions and communications, with betting platforms, the Guardians and MLB among the victims.
They allegedly engaged in wire fraud conspiracy by scheming to defraud betting platforms and obtaining money from those platforms through “materially false and fraudulent pretenses [and] representations.” Clase and Ortiz also allegedly used interstate and foreign wire communications to advance their scheme.
They’re further accused of honest services wire fraud, a noteworthy charge that has played an instrumental role in the sports world of late. The DOJ used this against parents in the Operation Varsity Blues case. There, colleges were deprived of their employees’ honest services because admissions staff and coaches accepted parents’ bribes. Analogously, Clase and Ortiz are depicted as defrauding the Guardians and MLB by denying them their honest services through bribery and kickbacks.
Clase and Ortiz are facing serious legal trouble. While every criminal defendant is innocent until proven guilty, data indicates a harsher reality. According to Pew Research, only 290 of 71,954 federal defendants (0.4%) in 2022 went to trial and were acquitted, while 89.5% pleaded guilty. The odds of acquittal in a federal criminal case are typically bleak.
If convicted, sentenced to the maximum for each offense, and if their sentences were to run consecutively instead of concurrently, Clase and Ortiz could theoretically face 65 years in prison each. In reality, they’re unlikely to receive sentences nearing that length, but they could face significant prison time. The risk of imprisonment could eventually lead them to try to negotiate plea deals.
In statements released to the media, the Guardians said they will “continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue.” MLB stated it “contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process,” and added that its investigation is “ongoing.”
Expect the Clase and Ortiz charges to ignite further debate about the availability of prop bets and similar forms of gambling, which can be difficult to monitor for integrity. Whether it’s a pitcher throwing a slow pitch in the sixth inning, a basketball player ensuring he doesn’t register more than three rebounds in the second quarter, or a tennis player making sure she deliberately hits the ball out when the score is 30-30 in the second set, all are vulnerable to athlete manipulation.
The Giants brought in their second manager this offseason.
San Francisco officially named former manager Bruce Bochy a special advisor to the baseball operations department, the team announced in a statement on Monday. Bochy will perform duties on both the baseball and business side.
“Having Boch back in the organization means a great deal to all of us,” Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey wrote in the statement. “His experience, leadership, and feel for the game are unmatched, and his perspective will be invaluable as we continue building towards sustained success.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to reconnect with the Giants organization and so many familiar faces,” Bochy added. “This organization and city mean a lot to me and my family, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute in any way I can.”
Bochy managed the Giants for 13 seasons from 2007-2019, winning three World Series championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014 before retiring after the 2019 MLB season.
He then served as a special advisor for the Giants from 2020-2022 before coming out of retirement to serve as the Texas Rangers’ manager, where he won his fourth championship in 2023.
Bochy and the Rangers mutually agreed to part ways shortly after the 2025 season, and while there was brief speculation about him potentially returning to manage the Giants in 2026 after the team fired Bob Melvin, Posey made it clear the team would not go in that direction.
However, Bochy will return to the organization in a different role, and could serve as an important advisor for first-time MLB manager Tony Vitello.
For the past four months, as Major League Baseball carried its momentum from an exciting second half into a wildly entertaining and invigorating postseason, a dark cloud has hung over the league in the form of a sports betting investigation that featured a host of troubling unknowns. Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers — Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase — had been placed on administrative leave in July as the league investigated unusual gambling activity concentrated on individual pitches thrown by Ortiz and Clase, and the harrowing possibility that the pitchers were directly connected to wagers placed on the outcome of said pitches.
Once the initial shock of the pitchers’ respective removals from Cleveland’s roster passed during the summer, the story faded somewhat into the background as an ominous to-be-determined outcome, with outside observers left to wildly speculate about the best- and worst-case scenarios for what exactly had transpired. The league’s investigation unfolded behind the scenes with minimal substantive updates provided along the way beyond the repeated extensions of each pitcher’s leave.
Finally, a clearer picture of the situation has been revealed via federal indictment from the Department of Justice offering a detailed and troubling account of Clase and Ortiz’s alleged misdeeds. The 23-page document describes a picture of events that closely resembles what was presumed by many based on the initial round of reporting regarding what exactly was being investigated: That, according to federal authorities, on multiple occasions, Clase and Ortiz were throwing certain pitches nowhere near the strike zone with the express purpose of ensuring bettors — individuals with whom they had direct connections with — win wagers predicated on the pitches being balls, not strikes.
“MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process," MLB said in a statement on Sunday in response to the DOJ’s charges. "We are aware of the indictment and today's arrest [of Ortiz], and our investigation is ongoing.”
In addition to the basic premise of the alleged scheme, several other key takeaways can be gathered from the details within the indictment, beginning with the timeline of events itself. Upon the initial round of reporting regarding Clase and Ortiz, the focus seemed to be on a series of suspicious pitches thrown during the 2025 season. But the indictment describes three instances of bettors winning large sums of money by wagering on pitches thrown by Clase all the way back in May and June of 2023, with over $100,000 won on just those three pitches alone.
Emmanuel Clase hasn't played in an MLB game since July 26. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Diamond Images via Getty Images
Why exactly Clase did not resume such alleged activity again — or at least, to our current knowledge — until April of 2025 is one of the biggest unknowns left looming as the story continues to unfold. But the fact the investigation uncovered these three examples from two seasons ago — long before Clase was even teammates with Ortiz — highlights that Clase, not Ortiz, was the individual most frequently and explicitly involved in carrying out the alleged improper actions on the mound. This is a crucial distinction considering it was Ortiz who was first placed on the restricted list in early July, suggesting he was the main character in the investigation until Clase joined him on administrative leave later that month. But there are direct references to eight instances of Clase throwing balls on purpose compared to just two from Ortiz, which did not occur until after Clase had seemingly successfully executed the scheme on several occasions over multiple seasons, according to the indictment.
It appears, however, based on the timing, that Ortiz’s two offerings in question — which both took place in June, and resulted in over $60,000 in winnings for the group of connected bettors — raised the requisite suspicion to warrant the investigation in the first place, which ballooned into something bigger.
In total, the bettors allegedly won over $450,000 from these wagers. The indictment details several instances in which a portion of the winnings were transferred to the pitchers’ associates in their home country of the Dominican Republic, although it remains unclear exactly how much of the winnings ended up with the pitchers relative to the individuals placing the bets.
What is clear in the report that features multiple examples of Clase communicating and interacting directly with bettors — including, shockingly, during the very games in which he was engaging in the illicit activity and by obtaining tickets for one of the bettors to attend said games in Cleveland — is that Clase was the driving force behind this alleged scheme. This is a stunningly poor reflection of character for a pitcher who already had one major misstep earlier in his career when he was suspended 80 games in 2020 for testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug. Clase had seemingly righted the ship since establishing himself in the majors in 2021, signing a $20 million extension in 2022 and blossoming into one of the most dominant relievers we’ve ever seen. Clase did not seem to be in the kind of position to need to turn to illegal affairs to find some extra fast cash, and yet it was him who allegedly engaged in this gambling scheme for an extended stretch before Ortiz, a far less established, notably less compensated pitcher who had far more to lose, “joined the criminal scheme,” according to the indictment.
It is this apparent context that could help Ortiz as he begins to battle these charges in court after being arrested Sunday, and his lawyer has already released a strongly-worded statement defending his client and declaring the indictment as insufficient in proving Ortiz’s knowing involvement. Clase, meanwhile, is reportedly not currently in custody, at least for now, but will certainly have a lot of explaining to do once he is detained.
Luis Ortiz was arrested in Boston for his alleged involvement in what the Department of Justice called a rigged gambling scheme. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Lachlan Cunningham via Getty Images
On the surface, it’s an understandable instinct to lump this latest piece of bad news as merely the latest chapter in an ever-expanding trend, as the proliferation of legalized sports betting and the increased ease of access to online sports wagering has unsurprisingly opened the door for a new era of scandals across various professional sports. But while two of baseball’s most infamous storylines involved gambling — from the crooked White Sox in the 1919 World Series to an all-time great player in Pete Rose betting on his own team while managing the Reds in the 1980s — it is not a category of scandal that had resurfaced much at all in the sport until recently. The hallowed and repeatedly reinforced Rule 21 — which threatens permanent ineligibility for any player, umpire, league or club official involved in any form of wagering on baseball — had long held up as a sufficient scare tactic.
But as legalized betting — and as the ways to wager on baseball have expanded exponentially in the form of “prop bets” to allow for wagers on hyperspecific events within a game beyond strictly its final outcome — has entered the mainstream, a wave of gambling-related scandals have surrounded MLB to various degrees in recent years.
This alleged nefarious activity involving Clase and Ortiz, however, achieves an entirely new level of alarming. Other than featuring “MLB” and “gambling” in the headlines, this latest explosive addition to the genre should not be held as remotely equal to the other recent betting-adjacent scandals in and around baseball. This is not Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara stealing and losing millions of dollars gambling illegally on a litany of sports that didn’t even include baseball, according to prosecutors. This is not umpire Pat Hoberg naively sharing a gambling account with a friend who was placing bets on baseball. This is not a group of minor-leaguers placing small wagers on major-league games from a distance, or even Tucupita Marcano betting on games involving his team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, when he was on the major-league injured list.
All of these instances are disturbing and problematic in their own right, and featured varying degrees of league and legal punishment as a result. But what has allegedly taken place with Clase and Ortiz is infinitely worse. It is two individuals choosing to blatantly alter the specific outcome within a game with the express purpose of cashing in themselves, in turn completely disregarding the premise of fair and honest competition. It is an explicit and brazen attack on the integrity of the sport as we know it, which at its core, is what Rule 21 intends to uphold first and foremost.
It is this unfortunate reality — the worst-case scenario that what is happening on the field could be directly influenced by outside gambling activity — that MLB must grapple with moving forward, even once its internal investigation into Ortiz and Clase concludes. Having embraced various gambling companies as sponsors and welcomed a wave of advertising on broadcasts promoting in-game betting, the league is already fully engaged in the challenge of overcoming the optics of a drastic uptick in betting-related content coinciding with the rise in these betting-related scandals. But far more important than how any of it looks is finding a way to rebuild a more concrete boundary between betting activity and those who make up the sport itself is paramount as the league progresses into an era where gambling is unlikely to suddenly become any less prevalent.
The New York Rangers have recalled Gabe Perreault from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
This call-up comes amid the Rangers’ offensive struggles, specifically at home.
In nine games for the Wolf Pack this season, Perreault has recorded five goals, five assists, and 10 points.
The 20-year-old forward signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Rangers last season in March and played five games for the Rangers to close out the 2024-25 campaign.
Perreault was one of the last players sent down during training camp in October, as he was given an opportunity to make the Rangers’ opening-night roster, but the team opted for him to start the year in the AHL.
Two Major League Baseball pitchers were indicted on charges that they took part in a scheme to rig their pitches during games to benefit sports bettors.
Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase, 27, and Luis Ortiz, 26, were indicted Sunday. Both players had been on paid leave since July as the MLB investigated unusually high betting activity that took place when both men were pitching.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn say the pitchers would intentionally toss balls instead of strikes or throw at specific speeds to ensure successful bets. The scheme began in May 2023 with Clase, and later included Ortiz, ESPN reported.
The pitchers were indicted on charges including wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to influence a sporting event by bribery, according to a 23-page indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York.
Ortiz, one of the team’s starting pitchers, was arrested Sunday at Boston Logan International Airport and is expected to appear in federal court in Boston on Monday. Clase, a relief pitcher, has not yet been taken into custody, according to the report.
The pitchers “betrayed America’s pastime,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in announcing the charges. “Integrity, honesty and fair play are part of the DNA of professional sports. When corruption infiltrates the sport, it brings disgrace not only to the participants but damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us.”
Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians was one of two MLB stars indicted on Sunday. Clase and another pitcher for the Guardians, Luis Ortiz, were accused of a scheme to rig their pitches to benefit bettors. (Getty Images)
Starting in May 2023, Clase would agree to throw balls, instead of strikes, or slower “slider” pitches, and cue bettors in on his plans. The bettors would then use this information to place over a hundred fraudulent bets on Clase’s pitches on betting platforms.
Prosecutors say that after coordinating with Clase, bettors on May 19, 2023 waged that a pitch thrown by Clase would be faster than 94.95 mph, and won approximately $27,000.
The stunt continued for several years, with Clase later looping in Ortiz to join on the scheme.
This past May, Clase agreed to throw a slow ball during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the batter swung, resulting in a strike and costing the bettors $4,000. After the game, Clase sent a text to one of the bettors with the image of a man hanging himself with toilet paper and a sad puppy dog face, the indictment said.
Prosecutors also said in the filing that Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball on June 15 and Clase was given $5,000 for facilitating the play.
The two pitchers did it again on June 27 and were each paid $7,000, according to the indictment. It was not immediately clear how many instances of fraud occurred.
Bettors involved in the scheme won at least $450,000 on pitches thrown by Clase and Ortiz, according to the indictment.
In a statement, MLB said: “MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process. We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest and our investigation is ongoing.”
Ortiz of the Cleveland Guardians was also charged. Both men face counts of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to influence a sporting event by bribery (Getty Images)
Their team, the Guardians, also noted in a statement, “We are aware of the recent law enforcement action. We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigation continues.”
Ortiz’s lawyer, Chris Georgalis, said that his client was innocent and “has never, and would never, improperly influence a game -- not for anyone and not for anything.” Clase’s attorney did not return a request for comment.
The pitchers could each could face up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud conspiracy, 20 years for honest services wire fraud conspiracy, 20 years for money laundering conspiracy and five years for conspiracy to influence a sporting events by bribery.
Clase has made over $12 million over his MLB career and was scheduled to earn $6.4 million in 2026. Ortiz’s salary in 2025 was $782,600.
The charges are the latest as federal officials crackdown on betting in professional sports. Last month, more than 30 people, including prominent basketball figures like Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Fame star Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested in relation to a gambling scheme.
The MLB said it is monitoring sports betting scandals more closely since a May 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a federal ban on sports betting in most states and opened the doors for online sportsbooks to take up a prominent space in the sports ecosystem.
Betting scandals have long plagued the MLB and professional sports as a whole. In 1920, eight members of the Chicago White Sox, including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, were indicted on charges of fixing the 1919 World Series.
While the players were found not guilty, they were banned from baseball until May 2025.
The MLB suffered from another sports betting scandal in 1989, when Pete Rose was found to have placed numerous bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985 to 1987 while playing for and managing the team.
Rose, baseball’s all-time leader with 4,256 hits, died in 2024 still ineligible for induction into Cooperstown. However, the MLB's eligibility rules were updated in May of 2025, clearing the path for Rose to get Hall consideration.
Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase throws a pitch to a San Francisco Giants batter June 18, 2025, in San Francisco. (Godofredo A. Vasquez / Associated Press)
Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and starter Luis Ortiz face federal charges of fraud, bribery and conspiracy for allegedly intentionally throwing pitches outside the strike zone so bettors could wager correctly on whether pitches would be balls or strikes.
The 23-page indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York and unsealed Sunday outlines several incidents, including one this season that involved the Dodgers.
During a game at Cleveland on May 28, the indictment states that Clase threw a pitch that was meant to be a ball, but Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages swung and missed, resulting in a strike. Clase retired the side in order for his 11th save of the season in Cleveland's 7-4 victory.
About 20 minutes later, the indictment states that "Bettor-1" sent a message to Clase of a GIF of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. Clase allegedly responded to "Bettor-1" with a GIF of a sad puppy dog face.
The indictment states that from 2023 to 2025, bettors "won at least $400,000 from the Betting Platforms on pitches thrown by" Clase.
Ortiz joined the scheme in 2025, according to the indictment: "Ortiz agreed to throw balls (instead of strikes) on certain pitches in exchange for bribes or kickbacks." Clase allegedly served as middle man between the bettors and Ortiz.
The indictment states the alleged scheme started as early as May 2023 with Clase, who purposely threw pitches outside the strike zone so bettors could win proposition bets.
In announcing the indictment, U.S. Atty. Joseph Nocella Jr. said professional athletes hold a position of trust — with their teammates, leagues and fans.
“As alleged, the defendants sold that trust to gamblers by fixing pitches, " Nocella said. "In doing so, the defendants deprived the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball of their honest services. They defrauded the online betting platforms where the bets were placed. And they betrayed America’s pastime."
When Clase hurled a pitch in the dirt when facing Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals during a game in April, prosecutors allege Clase was thinking about something besides getting Witt out. He was thinking about "repairs for the country house," according to the indictment.
"The defendants agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types and speeds of pitches, and their co-conspirators used that inside information to place wagers on those pitches," wrote Assistant U.S. Atty. David Pitluck in the indictment. "In some instances, the defendants received bribes and kickback payments — funneled through third parties — in exchange for rigging pitches."
Clase, 27, is one of the top closers in baseball. The right-hander from the Dominican Republic led the American League in saves in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and has a career earned-run average of 1.88 to go with 182 saves.
Clase signed a five-year, $20-million contract in April 2022 that included a $2-million signing bonus. The deal also includes $10-million club options for 2027 and 2028.
Ortiz, also from the Dominican Republic, was traded to the Guardians before the 2025 season after spending three seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. ESPN reported that the betting-integrity firm IC360 sent alerts to sportsbook operators regarding two pitches thrown by Ortiz in June.
The first came when Ortiz spiked a slider in the dirt to open the second inning against the Seattle Mariners. The second came when Ortiz opened the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals with a slider that flew to the backstop.
Both pitchers were placed on non-disciplinary paid leave in July when MLB launched an investigation and were moved to the restricted list when the regular season ended. The Ohio Casino Control Commission also started an investigation.
If convicted on all charges, the pitchers face up to 65 years in prison. Ortiz was arrested in Boston on Sunday morning. Clase has not yet been arrested.
MLB has a rule that prohibits players from betting on any game they participate in. Breaking the rule makes a player "permanently ineligible" to play professional baseball.
The MLB inquiry is ongoing. The league said Sunday it contacted federal investigators at the outset of its investigation and was aware of the indictment, which was replete with descriptions of specific schemes between the two pitchers and bettors.
Clase often texted a bettor after games to confirm wagers had been placed, the indictment alleges. After the game against the Royals in April, Clase asked the bettor to send the money they won to the Dominican Republic, telling the bettor it was "for repairs to the country house."
The indictment also alleges that Clase used his cellphone during games — which violates MLB rules — to communicate about the scheme. During a game against the Cincinnati Reds on May 17, Clase texted Bettor-1 asking if he was "ready," prosecutors said.
Bettor-1 responded, "Of course."
Ten minutes later, according to the indictment, numerous bettors won approximately $10,000 placing bets that a pitch thrown by Clase would be a ball or would hit the batter, and that it would be slower than 97.95 mph.
Wagers on a specific event or individual performance within a game that does not necessarily depend on the final score have become increasingly popular. Called proposition bets, they allow bettors to focus on often arcane statistical achievements or odd occurrences.
But prop bets are creating new challenges for authorities investigating illegal betting. According to a federal indictment unsealed in October, NBA player Terry Rozier provided a friend with inside information about his planned early exit from a March 2023 game. The friend placed bets on Rozier underperforming statistically.
The information was sold for approximately $100,000 to bettors, who placed more than $200,000 in wagers. Rozier was arrested in a sweeping indictment.
Emmanuel Clase is a three-time All-Star. Photograph: Charlie Riedel/AP
The betting crisis in US sports has spread further after Cleveland Guardians players Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted over an alleged scheme to rig pitches during games.
Bettors on baseball can gamble on whether individual pitches will be balls or strikes. Prosecutors allege claim that Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball during a game on 15 June. His teammate Clase, a three-time All-Star, is alleged to have been given $5,000 for facilitating the rigged pitch, alongside gamblers in the players’ home country of the Dominican Republic. Prosecutors claim the pair did so again in a game on 27 June, receiving $7,000 each.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that Ortiz was arrested in Boston on Sunday, while Clase has not yet been taken into custody.
“MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process. We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing,” Major League Baseball said in a statement on Sunday.
The pair face up to 65 years in prison if found guilty of the allegations, which include charges of fraud, conspiracy and bribery.
Ortiz earned $782,600 in salary last season while Clase, one of the league’s best closers, was paid $4.5m. They have been on paid leave since July while MLB investigated unusual betting activity during games in which they pitched.
“We are aware of the recent law enforcement action, We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue,” the Guardians said in a statement.
The news comes after Chauncey Billups, a Hall of Fame NBA player, was arrested in connection with a poker operation linked to the mafia, while Miami Heat star Terry Rozier was accused of taking part in a scheme to manipulate games.
The Eastern District of New York is becoming the country's unofficial epicenter of gambling prosecutions.
The same prosecutors who filed a sweeping indictment last month involving multiple NBA figures has now indicted a pair of pitchers from the Cleveland Guardians.
Via Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz face multiple charges (including fraud, conspiracy and bribery) arising from an effort to rig bets on pitches thrown in games.
Ortiz was arrested in Boston. Clase has not yet been detained. They allegedly face up to 65 years in prison, each.
The 23-page document accuses the pitchers of deliberately throwing balls, so that gamblers could place bets on balls vs. strikes. It allegedly began as early as May 2023, starting with Chase. Later, it included Ortiz.
Prosecutors specifically contend that Ortiz received $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball on June 15, with Clase getting $5,000 for facilitating the pitch. The duo allegedly did it again on June 27, in exchange $7,000 apiece.
Both players had been placed on paid leave during the 2025 season, pending an investigation by Major League Baseball. That probe now takes a back seat to one that jeopardizes the liberty of the two players.
Said MLB in a statement to ESPN.com: "MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process. We are aware of the indictment and today's arrest, and our investigation is ongoing."
The situation underscores the perils of prop bets and microbets. Those can be easily manipulated by individual players. And, apparently, some players can be easily corrupted by gambling interests.
It may seem like easy money. The truth is there's no such thing.
