Hail to the chief?
When Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that permanent bans from the sport end upon the person’s death, many believed his decision was heavily influenced by President Donald Trump. In February, Trump posted a screed on social media, criticizing MLB for not putting Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame and telling the league to “get off its fat, lazy ass” and elect him (the Hall of Fame is separate from MLB and the league has nothing to do with voting or induction).
one of a number of voices that was supportive of the idea”
At an owners’ meeting on Wednesday, Manfred stopped short of saying that the country’s top wordsmith was the driving force behind the reinstatement of Rose and others from the permanently ineligible list, but he did say: “The president was one of a number of voices that was supportive of the idea that this was the right decision.”
“Obviously, I have respect for the office, and the advice that he gave I paid attention to, but I had a lot of other people that were weighing in on the topic, as well,” Manfred added.
You’re dead, you’re good
In May, Manfred surprised the sports world when he proclaimed that anyone on MLB’s permanently ineligible list was reinstated once they passed away. That list included the sport’s all-time hit king, Pete Rose, who died in September 2024, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, who has the fourth-highest batting average of all time, and 15 others.
Rose was confirmed to have bet on games while manager of the Cincinnati Reds
Rose would have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer, had he not been banned in 1989 for betting on baseball. The holder of several MLB records, Rose was confirmed to have bet on games while manager of the Cincinnati Reds from 1985 to 1987. He was also a player in 1985 and 1986.
He long denied betting on his own team but finally came clean in his 2004 autobiography. Rose always denied placing wagers on the opponent.
Shoeless Joe Jackson was one of eight members of the Chicago White Sox who accepted money from gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series. His supporters point to his outstanding performance in the Series as evidence that he did not actually try to throw any games, but he did take the payout and knew of the plan, at the very least.
Still need to wait a while
Rose and Jackson’s reinstatement does not necessarily mean they will end up in the Hall of Fame; it just means that there is now a chance. The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s rules say that anyone on MLB’s permanently ineligible list is also ineligible for the Hall. So, with that obstacle out of the way, enshrinement is a possibility.
Because Rose and Jackson were not voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, they will have to be considered by different committees. A committee will decide on eight players to put on this December’s Contemporary Era (1980 and later) player ballot. December 2026 is the Contemporary Era ballot for managers, executives and umpires.
Everyone who has been reinstated played before 1980, so they won’t have a shot until a committee puts together the December 2027 Classic Era player ballot (Rose managed in the 1980s, but he did not have a Hall of Fame managerial career).
A separate 16-member committee will then consider the candidates on the ballot. A candidate must receive 12 votes to make the Hall of Fame.
