Donald Trump’s support of Pete Rose was among the factors weighed by Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred when he decided last month thatpermanent bans by the sport end with death, which allows the career hits leader to be considered for the Hall of Fame.
Manfred announced the new interpretation on 13 May, and that decision allows Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson to be considered for a Hall committee vote in December 2027.
“[Trump] was one of a number of voices that was supportive of the idea that this was the right decision,” Manfred said Wednesday during a news conference at an owners meeting. “Obviously, I have respect for the office, and the advice that he gave I paid attention to, but I had a lot of other people that were weighing in on the topic, as well.”
Rose and then-commissioner A Bartlett Giamatti agreed to a permanent ban in August 1989 after an investigation commissioned byMLBconcluded that Rose repeatedly bet on the Reds as a player and manager for the team from 1985 to 1987, a violation of a long-standing MLB rule.
The Hall of Fame in 1991 decided people on the permanently banned list were ineligible for consideration.
Manfred on Wednesday discussed a number of other topics affecting MLB.
ROBOT UMPIRES:Computer technology to appeal ball/strike calls could be in place for the 2026 regular season, and Manfred said use of the automated ball-strike system was likely to be considered by the 11-man competition committee, which includes six management representatives.
During a spring training experiment in 288 games, teams were successful on 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges using the automated ball-strike system.
“I do think that we’re going to pursue the possibility of change in that process and we’ll see what comes out at the end of that,” Manfred said. “The teams are really positive about ABS. I do have that unscientific system that I use: my email traffic. And my distinct impression is that using ABS in spring training has made people more prone to complain of balls and strike calls via email to me referencing the need for ABS.”
An experiment with a technology system to challenge checked-swing calls started in the Class A Florida State League on 20 May. That is not under consideration for MLB use in 2026.
“I think we’ve got to get over the hump in terms of either doing ABS or not doing it before you’d get into the complication of a separate kind of challenge,” Manfred said.
2028 OLYMPICS:MLB is considering whether to allow big league players to compete at the 2028 Games, as baseball is returning after being played from 1992 to 2008 and then in 2021.
MLB did not allow players on 40-man rosters to participate in the 2021 Olympics, and many teams discouraged top eligible prospects from playing.
“We made some progress with LA 2028 in terms of what it could look like,” Manfred said. “We have some other business partners that we need to talk to about – changes that would need to be made in order to accommodate the Olympics. I think we’re going to go forward with that process.”
Manfred said the players’ union appears to be supportive.
POSSIBLE SALARY CAP PROPOSAL:A decision on MLB’s bargaining positions with the players’ association, including whether to propose a salary cap, will be made after this season, Manfred said.
Bargaining is likely to start in spring 2026 for a successor to the five-year agreement with the union that ended a 99-day lockout on 10 March 2022. The deal expires on 1 December 2026.
An ownership economic study committee was formed in early 2023, sparking speculation about arenewed push for a salary cap systemaimed at decreasing payroll disparity.
“Payroll disparity is such a fact of life among the ownership group that there’s not a lot of need for talking about whether we have it or not. Everybody kind of gets it,” Manfred said. “We understand that it has become a bigger problem for us, but there has not been a lot of conversation about that particular topic.”
When MLB proposed a cap in 1994, players went on strike for nearly eight months in 1994 and 1995, leading to the first cancellation of the World Series for the first time since 1904.
“Obviously, over the winter, we’re going to have to decide what is going to be out there from our perspective, but no decisions on that topic so far,” Manfred said.
BROADCASTING:MLB hopes to reach a deal before the All-Star break on a Sunday night national broadcast package and for the Home Run Derby to replace the agreement that ESPN is opting out of after this season.
Manfred said MLB is negotiating with three parties and is weighing traditional broadcasters and streaming services, who might pay more but have a smaller audience.
Manfred said he regrets giving ESPN the right to opt out, which is causing a negotiation for rights lasting three seasons. MLB’s contracts with Fox and Turner end after the 2028 season.
“If you’re talking about what we’re doing for the next three years, I would overweight reach,” Manfred said. “The larger negotiation we’ll have for the post-’28 period and we continue to believe that reach drives our live business.”
LAS VEGAS BALLPARK:A formal groundbreaking hasn’t taken place for the Athletics’ planned ballpark to open in 2028, though work is being done at the site and a ceremony could be held this month.
“My understanding is they believe they’re going to make Opening Day ‘28,” Manfred said.
ATTENDANCE UP:Attendance averaged 28,081 through Tuesday and 900 dates, up 1.4% from 27,687 through the same point last year, when MLB finished with a 0.9% rise to 29,568 for its highest average since 30,042 in 2017.
MLB could finish with an average increase in three straight years not impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic for the first time since 2004-07.
TARIFFS ON BASEBALLS:MLB is not concerned about Trump administration tariffs raising the cost of big league baseballs, which are manufactured in Costa Rica.
“The minor league baseball is made in China,” Manfred said. “That’s more of an issue.”