Pete Rose Hall of Fame Odds Shorten After MLB Commish Says He Wants ‘To Get It Done’

Posted on: April 30, 2025, 08:20h. 

Last updated on: April 30, 2025, 09:36h.

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  • Pete Rose could be reinstated to MLB
  • If he is, Rose would be a shoo-in for the National Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Rose was banned from baseball for betting on games

Pete Rose died last September at the age of 83. Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says a decision regarding his possible reinstatement to the game that he loved but was banned from for gambling is forthcoming.

Pete Rose Hall of Fame odds MLB reinstatement
Pete Rose before a Cincinnati Reds game against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium in 1978. Rose died in September 2024 but is being considered for reinstatement to the MLB, which would allow him to become eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. (Image: Getty)

Appearing Monday at the Associated Press Sports Editors meeting, Manfred was asked about Rose’s reinstatement status and to weigh in on President Donald Trump’s remarks in late February where he pledged to issue the late baseball great “a complete pardon.”

“I met with President Trump … and one of the topics was Pete Rose. I’m not going beyond that,” Manfred said.

When pressed, however, Manfred did go beyond his initial comments.

Manfred said he is considering Rose’s reinstatement appeal filed in January by “Charlie Hustle’s” longtime attorney Jeffrey Lenkov. Lenkov had previously filed unsuccessful reinstatement petitions when Rose was alive.

The MLB commissioner said reinstating Rose is “a little more complicated than it might appear.” Manfred committed to issuing a ruling but did not specify when that might come.

Manfred Tips Hand?

For Rose’s legions of fans, Manfred’s remarks on the Rose question are seemingly worthy of celebration.

I want to get it done promptly,” Manfred conceded.

Whether Manfred meant getting his ruling done promptly or implying that Rose should be reinstated as quickly as possible will be revealed with the ruling. If Rose is reinstated, he would qualify to be posthumously elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Rose has been ineligible for the Hall’s consideration since he agreed to a lifetime ban from the sport in 1989 after an MLB investigation determined that he illegally gambled on games he played and coached while with the Cincinnati Reds. Rose later admitted to betting on games he participated in but maintained that he only bet on himself and his team to win — not lose.

When Rose was in his prime in the 1960s and 70s, sports betting remained confined to underground bookies. Things are, of course, much different today, as the MLB is heavily invested in legal sports gambling.

Manfred says the league’s embrace of sports betting will have no bearing on his reinstatement ruling.

The fact that the law changed, and we sell data and/or sponsorships, which is essentially all we do, to sports betting enterprises, I don’t think changes [anything]. It’s a privilege to play Major League Baseball. As with every privilege, there comes responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is that they not bet on the game,” Manfred said.

MLB players, team staffers, front offices, umpires, and other league personnel remain prohibited from betting on baseball under Rule 21.

Historic Career 

There will never be another Pete Rose — for many reasons. While his gambling at times has overshadowed his storied career, the Ohioan is unquestionably one of the best to ever take the diamond.

Rose is MLB’s all-time leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), and singles (3,215). His career batting average was .303.

Rose was a 17-time MLB All-Star in an unequaled five positions (second base, left field, right field, third base, and first base). He won three World Series rings, three batting titles, and one MVP Award.