Cleveland Indians can benefit from Emmanuel Clase suspension
By David Hill
Even though reliever Emmanuel Clase was handed an 80 game suspension for failing a PED test, the Cleveland Indians will benefit in the long run.
The 2020 season was going to be a year of transition for the Cleveland Indians. While they were not rebuilding per se, they have made several moves with an eye to the future. Trevor Bauer was surprisingly moved at the 2019 trade deadline, and Corey Kluber was dealt during the offseason. The prize of the trade was young reliever Emmanuel Clase, who had been a little known prospect before exploding through the minors to make his major league debut last year.
However, the Indians will not be getting anything from Clase any time soon. The Indians reliever was giving an 80 game suspension after testing positive for Boldenone.
Clase’s violation was for the anabolic steroid Boldenone. He receives an 80-game ban. He was the key piece in the Kluber trade, a reliever who impressed with great stuff. #tribe
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 1, 2020
Boldenone is a steroid used by veterinarians, and is best known by the brand names Parenabol and Equipoise. It is also illegally used in race horses, while legally, it is designed to help debilitated horses by correcting weight loss and improving appetite.
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Clase certainly impressed during his stint with the Rangers last year. In 23.1 innings, he posted a 2.31 ERA and a 1.114 WHiP, striking out 21 batters with just six walks. Clase was expected to occupy a key spot in the bullpen, potentially as the closer in waiting should Brad Hand be dealt during the year.
While this suspension puts a dent in the Indians’ hope for the coming year, there is a long term benefit. Clase only had 59 days of service time in 2019, and with his suspension, and will not be able to accumulate enough service time for a full season whenever his suspension is able to begin.
In this situation, the Indians have unexpectedly found themselves with an additional year of control over Clase. Although he will likely reach Super Two status in 2023 (or 2024 if the season is canceled) his eventually sojourn into free agency has been pushed back a year. Given that, the Indians may be able to lock Clase in to an extension should he prove that his success in 2019 was not aided by his PED usage.
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The Cleveland Indians may have lost Emmanuel Clase to an 80 game suspension, but they also gained an extra year of team control. Considering how they are in a soft rebuild in 2020, that extra year may be more important.