Rob Manfred said Major League Baseball will respond “fully, cooperatively and in a timely manner” to a Senate committee inquiry that requested information about its gambling investigations.
Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell sent a letter to MLB on Monday amid the scandal surrounding a pair of Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, who have been indicted on charges of manipulating pitches to profit from betting.
The Senate committee requested written responses and documents by December 5.
In response to the scandal, the league and its betting company partners placed limits on betting on field-level markets – bettors can no longer wager more than $200 on the outcome of individual pitches – and excluded them from parlays.
Manfred does not intend to take any further steps to ensure that such a scandal does not repeat itself.
“We think the steps we’ve taken in terms of limiting the size of these prop bets and banning parlays on them are a very important change that should reduce the incentive for anyone to be inappropriately involved,” Manfred said Wednesday at the owners’ meetings in Midtown.
The scheme began as early as May 2023, according to prosecutors, when Clase allegedly helped co-conspirator gamblers win bets on how hard he would throw a specific pitch.
Clase allegedly recruited Ortiz into the plot this year, and the pair were placed on leave by MLB in July and indicted earlier this month. They have pleaded not guilty and face up to 65 years in prison.
Manfred claimed that the league’s relationship with the gambling industry helped identify the scheme.
“The most important business and really the basis of the relationship with the sportsbooks is the ability to monitor bets and the ability to identify inappropriate patterns,” Manfred said. “…We’ve understood the prop-bet issue from the very beginning. I’m glad we did something about it.
“But for the rest of the program at this point, I think overall we’re prepared to move forward under the rules we have now.”
Asked about a complete ban on prop bets, Manfred said: “We think the changes we have made have struck the right balance.”
Manfred said the league’s own investigation into Clase and Ortiz is still ongoing.
Manfred dodged questions about the owners’ plans and wishes, as the current collective bargaining agreement expires in December 2026.
The belief is that owners will push for a salary cap. Manfred acknowledged that competitive balance was a “topic of discussion” during the meetings.
“What I would say about the issue of competitive balance is that we have a significant portion of our fans who are vocal about the issue of competitive balance,” Manfred said, “and in general we try to pay attention to our fans.”
A lockout is expected. Manfred hopes no part of the 2027 season is lost.
“There has never been a losing game since I became involved in baseball, and my goal is to finish this next game and keep that record intact,” Manfred said. “There’s a lot of work to be done between now and then, but that’s my goal.”
MLB has announced three-year media rights deals with ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix, lasting through the 2028 season.
NBC will regularly broadcast MLB games for the first time in 26 years, and its partnership with Netflix will grow from original programming to live coverage of baseball events.
Among the highlights:
- ESPN will distribute MLB.TV, the league’s out-of-market streaming service. Starting next season, fans will be able to purchase games from teams outside their home territory via ESPN and watch them on MLB.TV.
- NBCUniversal will air “Sunday Night Baseball,” “Sunday Leadoff” and all four postseason wild-card series.
- Netflix will broadcast the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Japan and open the MLB season for the next three years with a unique game: next season with the Yankees visiting the Giants. The streaming giant will also broadcast the Home Run Derby and next year’s “Field of Dreams” game live from Dyersville, Iowa.
That “Field of Dreams” game returns for the first time in four years and features the Twins and Phillies.
The Brewers and Braves will play in the 2026 Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
MLB announced a six-year deal with PitchCom, the device used by pitchers and catchers to prevent sign stealing, that will run through at least the 2031 season.
The All-Star weekend schedule has been adjusted.
The draft moved from Sunday to Saturday, and the Futures Game moved from Saturday to Sunday. It will be followed by a “new All-Star event that will bring together former players and celebrities,” Manfred said.
MLB is “very pleased with the progress” made at Tropicana Field, Manfred said.
The Rays hope to return next season to their home state, which was devastated by a hurricane that forced the club to play its home games at the Yankees’ Steinbrenner Field last season.
“They expect the roof to be dry by the first week of December, which is a very important milestone for us,” said Manfred. “There will be new turf and padding, new floors everywhere. … All air quality tests have come back good.”
After the family of the late Peter Seidler announced they were exploring a sale of the Padres, Manfred said he expects “there will be people interested in buying.”
“It’s a very attractive franchise,” Manfred said. “They’ve done a great job of building a fan base. The ballpark experience is probably one of our best. They have some great players.”
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