Ichiro Suzuki and Félix Hernández are officially on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Suzuki, in his first year of eligibility, is widely expected to be a first-ballot inductee. There’s even buzz that he could become a unanimous selection. Hernández, meanwhile, will have a tougher climb, but he should receive enough votes to stay on the ballot for at least another year.

If either of these two legends makes it into Cooperstown, they’ll join fellow Mariners greats Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martínez. But while Ichiro and Félix are stealing the spotlight, they’re not the only Mariners up for consideration. Former shortstops Alex Rodriguez, Omar Vizquel, and closer Fernando Rodney are also on the ballot. But A-Rod will face a longer challenge; this is his 4th time in HOF voting. ESPN columnist and insider Jeff Passan sheds light on the matter in a recent podcast episode. 

Alex Rodriguez not likely to get into the Hall of Fame for the fourth time

Jeff Passan recently joined the Casa De Klub podcast. The show is hosted by 2X Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber and former Arizona Wildcat Tyler Casagrande. They dived into the 2024 MLB free agency frenzy. During the conversation, the hosts asked Passan about a controversial topic: whether too many writers are taking a hard stance on players linked to PED use and excluding them from Hall of Fame consideration. Passan had a strong response: “Here’s the thing, it’s not up to the writers, and that’s why I don’t think they’re going to get in.” He went on to explain that once players fall off the writers’ ballot, they enter a different process.

Special elections are held every few years, where committees of around 12-16 people decide their fate. “You need to get at least three-quarters of the votes, I think. A lot of these committees are populated by people from front offices and a few writers, and I just don’t think there’s enough of a presence in that group to look past and forgive the players for what they did.” Passan’s point reflects the ongoing debate over PED-era players, especially with Alex Rodriguez up for a Hall of Fame. 

2017 letter challenges Hall of Fame induction for PED users 

In 2017, the late Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan sent a letter to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He urged voters not to elect players linked to performance-enhancing drug (PED) use. “Users don’t belong here,” Morgan wrote. “Players who failed drug tests, admitted using, or were identified as users in Major League Baseball’s investigation into PED abuse, known as the Mitchell Report, should not get in. Those are the three criteria that many of the Hall of Fame players and I think are right.”

Morgan, who passed away in 2020, took his stance even further. In the letter, he warned that if PED users were inducted into Cooperstown, Hall of Famers already enshrined would boycott the induction ceremonies. His letter sparked debate on the Hall’s integrity and how to handle players from the PED era. Almost six years after Joe Morgan’s letter, the voting results have largely aligned with his stance. In 2023, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens fell short of the 75% threshold required for induction. It marked their 10th and final appearance on the BBWAA ballot.

In 2023, the Contemporary Era Committee, which includes Hall of Famers, executives, and veteran writers, also rejected Bonds, Clemens, and Rafael Palmeiro (who failed a PED test in 2005). The committee voted on eight candidates, and Fred McGriff was the only player elected to Cooperstown. He joined a group that included Don Mattingly, Curt Schilling, Albert Belle, and Dale Murphy, all of whom fell short of election. The 2023 Hall of Fame results further demonstrate how PED still influences BBWAA members’ voting. Both Alex Rodriguez, who served a season-long PED suspension, and Manny Ramirez, who twice failed the tests, received limited support.