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  Alden GonzalezNov 12, 2025, 05:02 PM ET

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  ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.

LAS VEGAS — In the wake of a gambling scandal that has engulfed Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, agent Scott Boras on Wednesday called for the removal of prop betting, citing its potential harm to player integrity.

Clase and Ortiz were charged by federal prosecutors Sunday with fraud, conspiracy and bribery stemming from an alleged scheme to rig individual pitches that led to gamblers winning hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ortiz, 26, pleaded not guilty in Brookyln federal court Wednesday and was released on a $500,000 bond that included several conditions. Clase, 27, is scheduled to be arraigned at the same courthouse Thursday.

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Earlier this week, Major League Baseball announced that prominent U.S. sportsbooks will establish a nationwide $200 betting limit on baseball wagers centered on individual pitches and prohibiting such bets from being included in parlays in an attempt to decrease the incentive for manipulation. But Boras, baseball’s most powerful agent, would like to see those prop bets eliminated entirely.

“You have to remove those prop bets to make sure that the integrity of the players is not questioned, because there’s going to be all forms of performance questions given now to pitchers and such when they throw certain pitches to the back of the screen, or situationally, and really, we don’t want any part of it,” Boras told a large media contingent from the general managers meetings. “We want the players’ integrity never to be questioned.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has called for the Ohio Casino Control Commission to end player-specific micro betting entirely.

“I realize it’s a really complicated issue,” said Chris Antonetti, the president of baseball operations for the Guardians. “I’m grateful for the efforts by Major League Baseball and Gov. DeWine to try to find some way to address what seemed to be a problem, so hopefully that’s a step in the right direction.”

Boras’ client list this offseason is topped by star-level position players like Cody Bellinger, Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso, as well as starting pitchers Dylan Cease, Ranger Suarez and Tatsuya Imai, the Japanese right-hander whom Boras said will be posted by the Seibu Lions next Wednesday.

Executives throughout the industry still are navigating preliminary meetings to finalize their offseason plans, but Boras claimed that “many teams” are “ramping up” to spend this winter. That comment comes in the early stages of labor talks that are widely expected to become contentious and many fear could jeopardize the 2027 season. The current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of the 2026 season. A lockout could come shortly thereafter.

Boras, though, does not expect the threat of one to impact spending this offseason.

“Historically we haven’t seen that because teams always want to be their best,” Boras said. “The bottom line is teams understand they don’t have to pay players when there’s strikes.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Oct 13, 2025, 12:30 PM ET

Mike Shildt is retiring as San Diego Padres manager with two years remaining on his contract, saying “the grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally.”

The 57-year-old Shildt on Saturday informed the team he would retire, nine days after the Padres were eliminated by the Chicago Cubs in a tense three-game wild-card series. He said he made the decision on his own accord.

Shildt led the Padres to the postseason in each of the two seasons he managed the franchise. The club confirmed Shildt’s decision Monday.

“While it has always been about serving others, it’s time I take care of myself and exit on my terms,” Shildt said in a statement given to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I gave every fiber of my being to help achieve Peter Seidler’s vision of bringing a World Series Championship to San Diego.

“We fell short of the ultimate goal, but I am proud of what the players, staff and organization were able to accomplish the last two seasons.”

Shildt went 183-141 as manager in San Diego. The Padres won 90 games this season and finished second in the NL West before being eliminated by the Cubs.

“I am most grateful for our players,” Shildt said in his statement. “San Diego is rightfully proud of the Padres players. It is a group that conducts themselves with class, is dedicated to each other and the common goal of winning a World Series. I love our players and will miss them dearly!!

“After 34 years of dedicating myself to the rigors of coaching and managing, I can with great enjoyment look back on achieving my two primary goals: To help players get the most out of their God given ability and become better men. Also, to win games.”

Before joining the Padres organization in early 2022 as a player development coach, Shildt was the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals from 2018 to 2021, posting a winning record in each of his three full seasons. He was the NL Manager of the Year in 2019 after leading the Cards to 91 wins and the NL Central title.

“We would like to congratulate Mike on a successful career and thank him for his significant contributions to the Padres and the San Diego community over the last four years,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller wrote as part of a statement.

Preller added that the search for a new Padres manager “will begin immediately with the goal of winning a World Series championship in 2026.”

The next Padres manager will be the sixth to work under Preller since he was hired to lead the baseball operations department in 2014, following Bud Black, Andy Green, Jayce Tingler, Bob Melvin and Shildt, whose retirement makes the Padres one of eight teams searching for a new manager this offseason.

Information from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Sep 10, 2025, 11:12 PM ETManager Brian Snitker left open the possibility that he could be back in the Atlanta…