Is President Trump behind MLB decision to reinstate Pete Rose?

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MLB’s Pete Rose decision prompts speculation about political interference in MLB.

In a stunning policy shift that has rocked baseball circles, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has officially removed Pete Rose and other deceased individuals from the sport’s permanently ineligible list. The May 2025 announcement potentially clears the way for Pete Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader who was banned in 1989 for betting on games as a manager, to finally enter the hallowed halls of Cooperstown.

However, lurking beneath this seismic reversal is a provocative question: Did President Donald Trump‘s advocacy fundamentally alter the trajectory of Pete Rose’s legacy?

The Manfred memo: An unlikely evolution

In correspondence to Jeffrey M. Lenkov, the attorney who petitioned MLB on Pete Rose’s behalf, Manfred articulated a new perspective: “Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game.” His conclusion established that “permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual.”

While presented as a thoughtful reassessment of posthumous punishment, the timing has fueled speculation. Manfred had firmly rejected Pete Rose’s reinstatement as recently as 2015. Now, just eight months after Rose’s death and following President Trump’s public “complete pardon” declaration, the commissioner has reversed his long-held position.

Trump’s unwavering advocacy for Pete Rose

The former president has consistently championed Pete Rose’s cause throughout his political career. During a 2016 Cincinnati campaign stop, Trump vocally supported the former MLB great’s induction. This advocacy intensified during his second term, with Trump declaring on social media in February 2025: “Pete Rose deserves a complete PARDON. One of the greatest ever to play the game!”

A subsequent White House meeting between Trump and Manfred raised eyebrows across the sports world. While declining to detail their conversation, the commissioner acknowledged discussing Rose: “One of the topics was Pete Rose, but I’m not going beyond that,” Manfred told the press.

The ‘Rose Rule’ and a three-decade exile

Rose’s banishment followed the damning Dowd Report in 1989, which meticulously documented his extensive gambling activities on Cincinnati Reds games while serving as the team’s manager. Though initially proclaiming innocence, Pete Rose finally admitted in 2004 that he had indeed bet on baseball.

In 1991, the Hall of Fame established a rule barring any player on baseball’s ineligible list from consideration, widely interpreted as a direct response to Pete Rose’s situation. This regulation effectively blocked his candidacy, even as support for his inclusion grew among fans and former players over the decades.

A controversial legacy until the end

Despite amassing an unmatched 4,256 career hits, Pete Rose remained a deeply divisive figure throughout baseball. His legal troubles extended beyond gambling, including a five-month federal prison sentence for tax evasion in 1990. More troubling allegations emerged later regarding an alleged sexual relationship with a minor during his playing career.

His frequently defiant attitude further alienated MLB leadership. When rejecting his 2015 reinstatement petition, Manfred cited Pete Rose’s lack of genuine remorse: “Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life.”

Yet Pete Rose persisted in his quest for redemption until his final days. Just ten days before his September 30, 2024, death, he prophetically remarked, “I’ve come to the conclusion — I hope I’m wrong — that I’ll make the Hall of Fame after I die.”

What changed in 2025?

Manfred maintains that the mortality of those on the ineligible list drove his decision. However, Trump’s symbolic pardon and consistent advocacy appear to have accelerated the timeline for MLB’s action.

The implications extend beyond baseball. MLB’s unique antitrust exemption and its reliance on foreign talent visas intersect with federal policy priorities. Industry observers suggest the commissioner’s office may be cultivating favorable relations with the current administration.

Beyond Pete Rose: A broader impact

The ruling similarly affects “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and 15 other deceased figures, including members of the infamous 1919 Chicago “Black Sox” team. Like Pete Rose, Jackson had been rendered ineligible for Hall consideration under Rule 21. Their cases will now go before the Classic Baseball Era Committee, which next convenes in December 2027.

Hall of Fame induction requires at least 12 votes from the 16-member committee.

Yankees angle: What does this mean for New York icons?

While not directly affecting the Yankees organization, the precedent could influence conversations around Hall’s eligibility and disciplinary standards. Pete Rose’s case has long served as a reference point in debates balancing statistical achievement against moral conduct—territory familiar to a franchise that has weathered controversies from Alex Rodriguez‘s PED suspension to questions surrounding Roger Clemens’ steroid-tainted statistics.

With several former Yankees straddling the eligibility threshold, the committee’s willingness to separate on-field excellence from off-field transgressions could create new pathways to Cooperstown.

The road to Cooperstown

Now technically eligible, Pete Rose must await the December 2027 committee meeting for his first legitimate chance at induction. Whether the Classic Baseball Era Committee will embrace Pete Rose posthumously remains uncertain.

If elected, Rose would enter the Hall with the class of 2028—a fitting epilogue for a man whose complicated relationship with baseball has spanned generations.

The final judgment now shifts from MLB to the historians, veterans, and journalists who shape baseball’s immortality.

Pete Rose’s MLB rollercoaster timeline

Here’s a comprehensive timeline detailing Pete Rose’s journey through Major League Baseball’s ineligible list, from his initial ban to his posthumous reinstatement: (Source: Yahoo Sports)

Politics, redemption, and baseball’s moral compass

Whether President Trump directly influenced this outcome or simply accelerated an inevitable decision remains debatable. His vocal support certainly brought renewed attention to a case that had reached a decades-long stalemate. Manfred’s carefully timed announcement—just weeks after Trump’s pardon—suggests that even America’s pastime isn’t immune to political currents.

Rose’s path to baseball immortality is no longer blocked by MLB policy. The sport must now determine if transcendent achievement outweighs personal disgrace—and whether Pete Rose belongs alongside Ruth, Mantle, and Jeter in baseball’s pantheon.

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

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