President Trump's pardon for Reds legend Pete Rose may have Hall of Fame implications

Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose passed away last fall at the age of 83. Rose was key member of the two-time World Series champion Big Red Machine during the 1970s and is one of the most celebrated players of his generation.

Rose accepted what was effectively a lifetime ban from MLB after allegations of betting on baseball came to light in 1989. Rose was placed on the baseball's ineligible list, and a little over a year later, the National Baseball Hall of Fame adopted a rule that prohibited its membership from voting for players who were placed on that list. As a result, Rose, whose résumé is one of the greatest of all time, has never been inducted into the National Baseball of Fame.

But the President of the United States, Donald Trump, appears set to pardon Rose and voiced his desire to see "The Hit King" inducted into the Hall of Fame. In a social media post released late Friday night, the President relayed that over the next few weeks he will be signing a complete pardon. He went on to encourage Major League Baseball to induct Rose into Cooperstown.

President Donald Trump plans to pardon Pete Rose, urges MLB to induct him into the Hall of Fame

Rose won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1963 and took home the NL MVP 10 years later. He was a top-10 MVP finalist 10 times, was named to 17 All-Star Games, won three batting titles, took home two Gold Gloves, and won three World Series championships. Rose's on-field résumé is Hall of Fame-worthy, but his gambling exploits (and other concerns) off the field ruined his chances of being enshrined.

During his post-playing career, Rose tried several times to get reinstated. He pled his case to former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, and had several conversations with current commissioner Rob Manfred. All of Rose's efforts came up empty, and he eventually passed away without being immortalized alongside the other baseball greats in Cooperstown.

Whether or not the impending presidential pardon will sway the Baseball Hall of Fame to posthumously induct Rose into Cooperstown remains to be seen, but it's definitely something that creates another layer to the conversation.

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