Pete Rose's Hall of Fame candidacy grows in light of MLB's glaring gambling hypocrisy

For the first time ever, Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose will be eligible to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred lifted Rose's ban from baseball in 2025, and when the veteran's committee meets in December 2027, they will have the opportunity to elect 'The Hit King' into the Hall of Fame.

The argument for Rose to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is a complicated one. His admission to betting on baseball and other improprieties off the field have sullied his case for Cooperstown, but his on-the-field exploits are some of the best in the history of the game.

Rose was the Rookie of the Year in 1963, NL MVP in 1973, won three World Series championships, earned two Gold Gloves, was a three-time batting champion, a 17-time All-Star, and has the most hits in the history of the sport. That's a pretty strong case already.

Recent reporting from Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic may have made Rose's Hall of Fame candidacy even harder to ignore. According to Baggarly, Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. has partnered with Kalshi who is is also reportedly in talks with MLB for a league-wide deal.

MLB's latest potential venture only strengthens Pete Rose's case for the Hall of Fame

This latest development screams of hypocrisy at the highest level. As Baggarly points out, five major league teams recently announced partnerships with Kalshi — a prediction market dedicated to trading on the outcomes of future events — and two other organizations (New York Mets and New York Yankees) already have partnerships with financial trading platforms.

Throw in the fact that MLB has deals with sports books like FanDuel and BetMGM, and the Players Association's deal with Hard Rock Bet, and you begin to see that baseball as a whole no longer seems to have an issue with sports gambling.

The players, themselves, are not allowed to place wagers on baseball games through legalized sports betting. Furthermore, as Baggarly points out, Manfred’s office and the MLBPA sent a joint memo to players late in the 2025 season instructing them against risking money on any outcome related to baseball games or events.

To put this in perspective, this is no different than MLB or the Players Association partnering with a company that dispenses performance-enhancing drugs — something else that MLB (rightly) prohibits players from using — and getting rich off those who use that company's product. MLB has essentially set the wolf to guard the sheep.

While Kalshi (or any other prediction market) partnering with MLB isn't necessarily forcing players into compromising situations, we've already seen things go sideways. Former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted after accusations that they were involved in a plot to rig the outcome of prop bets placed during regular season games. Neither player is likely to ever pitch in the major leagues again.

Money is the root of all kinds of evil, and MLB is proving that they're willing to wade into uncertain (and dangerous) territory if it means adding a few more nickels to their coffers.

But what does this have to do with Pete Rose? Everything! For years, Major League Baseball said Rose wasn't eligible for the Hall of Fame because he bet on baseball. Now the league is fully embracing every aspect of sports gambling in an effort to line their pockets — which is virtually the exact same thing Rose did.

If nothing else, this is a horrible look for MLB, and it only strengthens Rose's case for the Hall of Fame. Will he ultimately be inducted? Most Reds fans would say, yes. But they don't get a vote. It'll be up to the 16 members of the Classic Baseball Era Committee. If Rose receives at least 12 of the 16 votes, he'll be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2028.

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