Overview

• MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has removed 17 deceased individuals, including Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, from the permanently ineligible list.
• The decision allows these figures to be considered for the Hall of Fame by the Classic Baseball Era Committee, which will meet in December 2027.
• Manfred justified the policy change by stating that deceased individuals no longer pose a threat to the integrity of the game, fulfilling the aims of Rule 21.
• Pete Rose, banned in 1989 for betting on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds, passed away in September 2024 at the age of 83.
• Shoeless Joe Jackson and seven other Chicago White Sox players were banned in 1921 for their alleged roles in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, one of baseball’s most infamous episodes.