Major League Baseball turned millions of heads this past week. They decided to reinstate Pete Rose, along with other banned members. This now makes them eligible for the Hall of Fame. While these individuals have not yet been added to the Hall of Fame, the door is now open for it to happen in the following years.
This decision has been met with much controversy from many of baseball’s biggest figures. Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer, in particular, sees this as an unfair redemption that he was not granted.
The former Cy Young award winner took to his X account to express his frustrations with MLB’s decision.
“So, since Pete is welcome back now, does that go for everyone who has been blackballed? Or do you actually have to be guilty of something to qualify for that?
While Bauer and Rose share some controversy off the field, their situations are too dissimilar to draw a direct parallel.
The complicated legacy of Pete Rose
After a Hall of Fame-caliber career as a player and manager, Rose was banned in 1989 after it was discovered that he gambled on games. While the 17x All-Star broke several longstanding records, including his 4256 hits, jeopardizing the integrity of the game has kept him from Cooperstown. That, combined with his public refusal to admit any wrongdoing until his 2004 autobiography, makes it clear why he fell out of favor with Major League Baseball. Add to that some serious off-the-field allegations, and his name has been tarnished.
But after a recent decision to reinstate the 3x World Series champion, it’s now become a question of where the line will end. For others who have been punished by MLB, such as suspected Steroid Users, there is now light at the end of the tunnel for their potential Hall of Fame candidacy.
A swift exit from MLB
As for Bauer, he may hope that MLB gives him another chance, as they seemingly did with Rose. After winning the Cy Young award in 2020, Bauer signed a 3-year, $102 million deal with the Dodgers. Before Los Angeles could get a meaningful return on their investment, Bauer was suspended 324 games for violating MLB’s domestic abuse policy. While that penalty was later reduced to 194 games, the Dodgers cut ties in January of 2023. The Former All-Star has been out of the Majors since and has maintained his innocence.
His situation differs in that he never compromised the integrity of the sport like Rose did. His goal is to play in MLB again. The 34-year-old Bauer believes he was robbed of a prolonged career in the Majors due to a false acquisition. Rose cannot claim that he’s being accused of anything he didn’t do in regard to gambling because he admitted it.
Rose’s play alone warrants a permanent enrichment into Cooperstown. But you cannot ignore his actions as they are a permanent stain on the game. If the committee elects Rose to the Hall of Fame, it would signal that cheating is acceptable. That is, as long as you are a great player. This would leave no excuse to withhold any suspected steroid users from the Hall, and would open up a giant can of worms for the sport at large.
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