The St. Louis Cardinals are in prime position to take advantage of contending teams' need for shutdown relievers, and breaking news regarding Major League Baseball's latest gambling scandal is going to give the Cardinals even more leverage in those negotiations.
ESPN's Jeff Passan is reporting that Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as a part of MLB's sports-betting investigation that recently sidelined fellow Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz (who was being investigated for a pitch he threw against Cardinals' catcher Pedro Pages). Clase was a name that teams around the league were checking in on at this year's trade deadline in hopes of making a massive swing to upgrade their bullpen.