It looks like the Hall of Fame dreams no longer seem achievable for Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa! But they are still hopeful. Although it depends on the Era committee’s decision, all the evidence and voting trends indicate a strict “no” for those who are found to be using steroids, but someday maybe it can change. Well, that looks far-fetched given that it is quite a serious case involving the use of steroids. The Hall of Fame has clearly announced that the players are no longer to be on the Era Committee ballots in perpetuity.

Such adjustments to the veteran’s committee limit the people with lesser support to be on the ballots in the future, which is bad news for stars like Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa, who used steroids once. The number 21 Chicago Cubs’ outfielder Sammy Sosa was sharing a lighthearted moment wearing the Cubs jersey after a long time; however, there’s a sudden mood swing. 

With the news coming about the performance-enhancing drugs, it led to the PED ties preventing him from getting nominated in the Hall of Fame, just like Barry Bonds. On March 6, MLB columnist and insider Bob Nightengale shared on his X handle that to be eligible for the Hall of Fame, either one needs to receive at least 5 out of 16 votes, and if not, they need to wait another six years to make certain considerations. But that’s not the end of bad news for them!

Nightengale also mentioned that if someone does not receive a minimum of five notes during multiple appearances of the ballots, they will no longer be considered eligible for the Hall of Fame in the future. To be precise, if Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, or even Roger Clemens do not receive a minimum of five votes out of 16 votes in December, they will unlikely be on future ballots. Sosa acquired 18.5 percent of votes in 2022, which was even 75% less than what was needed to get selected.

It was not just terrible news for them but also a lesson for the current players not to replicate such a similar mistake in the future. 

Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez caught in controversies

While the Era Committee’s rule changes already come as a surprise for Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds, shattering their dreams completely, there are two other players found guilty of using steroids. Alex Rodriguez was found to use steroids bought from the Biogenesis of America, with reports of him paying $12000 every month to a fake doctor named Anthony Bosch. However, later he surrendered to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which led to his suspension for the violation of the drug’s policy. But he wasn’t the only one!

In 2009, Manny Ramirez was also suspended fifty games as he violated baseball’s drug policy. Ramirez was reported to take a female fertility drug—human chorionic gonadotropin—right after taking the steroids, which not only held him guilty but also he, along with other players, tested positive. Although his on-field productivity remained good, and he stayed in the Hall of Fame till 2008, the use of performance-enhancing drugs always remained a major mistake. Not only because it may take a toll on their health in the future, but it will also shatter their Hall of Fame dreams.

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