MLB will Adhere to Senate's Request for Gambling Investigation

NEW YORK CITY (AP) - Major League Baseball states it will comply with a Senate committee's ask for files detailing gambling examinations.

Sens. Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee sent a letter Monday to baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred requesting for details by Dec. 5. The request followed indictments of Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz accusing them of taking kickbacks to rig pitches for bettors. Both have pleaded innocent.

"We ´ re going to respond totally and cooperatively and on time to the Senate query," Manfred stated Wednesday during a news conference at an owners meeting.

Two days after the indictments were unsealed on Nov. 9, MLB stated its licensed video gaming operators will top bets on private pitches at $200 and omit them from parlays.

"We believe the steps we ´ ve taken in terms of limiting the size of these prop bets and forbiding parlays off them is a really, truly substantial change that must lower the incentive for anybody to be associated with an inappropriate way," Manfred said.

He stated it was too early to state whether MLB will take a position on forecast markets, in which agreements are traded based on actual events such as game ratings.

"We ´ re well aware of the issues, the various regulatory framework, however not in a position where I want to articulate openly a position on it," he said.

Manfred said MLB's internal investigation into the Cleveland pitchers didn't have a schedule. Ortiz was put on paid leave on July 3 and Clase on July 28. They are not on track to accrue extra salary till opening day on March 25.

"We think that we need to make the most of the offseason to make sure that we conduct the most thorough and total examination possible," Manfred said.

MLB is helping players who have received threats related to gambling following the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court judgment that legalized sports betting in many states.

"We have actually had in location for a long time services that are available to gamers that get dangers of this kind in regards to providing support through law enforcement," he stated. "We do take it as a really serious concern and do provide support on an ongoing basis."

Manfred prevented discussing management's positions in cumulative bargaining for a labor agreement to change the offer that ends in December 2026 and whether MLB means to promote a wage cap system.

"We have a significant segment of our fans that have been vocal about the issue of competitive balance and in general we try to take note of our fans, so it is a subject of conversation," was the most he would say.

MLB is expected to lock out gamers on Dec. 2, 2026, in order to try to get a contract without reducing the 2027 season.

"There has never been a lost game because I became involved as a worker of baseball and it is my objective to get this next one done keeping that record intact," said Manfred, who signed up with the MLB staff in 1998. "It ´ s a great deal of work to be done in between from time to time, but that ´ s my goal."

The amateur draft is going up a day to the Saturday before the All-Star Game and the Futures Game is being pressed back to Sunday and will be followed by a new event with previous gamers and stars. NBC will telecast the first hour of the draft and the rest of the round on Peacock and the MLB Network. NBC also will telecast the Futures Game.

The Field of Dreams Game will resume on Aug. 13 with Minnesota playing Philadelphia at Dyersville, Iowa, which Netflix will stream. The Field of Dreams, site of the 1989 movie, hosted the Yankees and White Sox in 2021, and the Cubs and Reds the list below year before closing for restorations. The Triple-A St. Paul Saints deal with the Iowa Cubs at the very same website on Aug. 11.

Manfred stated MLB prepares to play in Iowa regularly but perhaps not annually.

Milwaukee will play Atlanta in the Little League Classic at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 23.

MLB signed a six-year arrangement through 2031 with PitchCom, the electronic device for catchers to signal pitches the sport has utilized since 2022.

"It ´ s been crucial both in regards to moving the game along and deterrence of sign stealing," Manfred said.

Tampa Bay remains on track to return to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, for its home opener versus the Chicago Cubs on April 6 after a year of home video games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the New york city Yankees. The Rays were required from their ballpark by damage from Hurricane Milton.

"I think they just have 2 panels left, I think, and they expect the roofing to be dried the very first week in December, which is a really important turning point for us," he said. "There ´ s going to be new grass and cushioning, brand-new flooring throughout, remodellings of the suites, the seating locations. All the air quality tests have returned great."

MLB does not plan to follow the lead of FIFA and issue its own peace reward.

"No strategies because regard," said.

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