MLB catcher who was behind plate for alleged rigged pitches testifies in Guardians pitchers' gambling case

Bo Naylor, who was behind the plate for allegedly rigged pitches by Cleveland Guardians pitchers, testified in a New York court on Thursday.

Naylor was a member of the Guardians from 2022 through this past trade deadline, when he was dealt to the eventual World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers.

Naylor was shown dozens of clips of pitches thrown by Clase and Ortiz in 2025 when he was questioned first by defense lawyers for the pitchers.

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The catcher testified that he appeared to call one of the allegedly rigged pitches, saying that a slider away to St. Louis Cardinals player Pedro Pages was a weakness.

Naylor also said he was unaware that bettors could wager on specific pitches.

Naylor said catchers and pitchers develop a strategy during pregame meetings of how to best pitch to each opponent to get an out based on an analysis of the weak spots in the hitting habits of each batter. He also acknowledged that pitchers, even the best ones, cannot be sure that each pitch will go where it is aimed.

Clase, a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year, had "pretty good command" of his pitches, Naylor said, but his command on his fastball was better than his offspeed.

Attorneys elicited from Naylor that he had frequently seen Clase on his cellular phone in the locker room. Prosecutors have alleged that Clase sometimes broke Major League Baseball rules by communicating with gamblers during games.

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Bettors allegedly won $400,000 from betting platforms on pitches thrown by Clase between 2023 and 2025. Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme in June 2025.

In one instance, the indictment alleges, Clase used his phone in the middle of a game to coordinate with a bettor on a pitch he would throw.

Clase turned himself into arguably the game's best closer, pitching to a 1.21 ERA in his last full season in 2024, which was good for a third-place finish in the American League Cy Young Award vote. His 2025 ERA was 3.80 by the time he was investigated. Ortiz boasts a lifetime 4.36 ERA, with his best season also coming in 2024 with a 3.32 ERA.

Clase inked a five-year, $20 million deal just before opening day in 2022, a few months after finishing fifth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. Ortiz was making the veteran minimum of $782,600 last season because he was not yet arbitration eligible.

OutKick’s Ryan Gaydos, Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.