As the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame vote results approach, CBS Sports writers Matt Snyder and Mike Axisa discuss their differing ballots. Their conversation highlights debates over performance-enhancing drugs, the Astros scandal and borderline candidates. Both emphasize the challenges of drawing lines on eligibility.
The 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame vote is set to reveal its inductees in just a few days, prompting CBS Sports' Baseball Writers' Association of America members Matt Snyder and Mike Axisa to break down their ballots. Their exchange reveals key divergences, starting with players linked to performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Snyder withheld votes from Alex Rodríguez and Manny Ramírez, citing suspensions after the Joint Drug Agreement took effect. "Players suspended for PED violations once there was a Joint Drug Agreement in place won't get my vote," Snyder explained.
Axisa, however, supported both, arguing that league punishments suffice. He noted that Ramírez failed tests twice and served suspensions, while Rodríguez admitted use and endured MLB's longest PED ban. "They were punished per the rules and I think that's that," Axisa said, adding that their careers cleared the "fame" threshold without PEDs being the sole reason for their success.
The pair also addressed Carlos Beltrán's role in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal. Snyder distinguished it from individual PED use, viewing team-wide cheating as less detrimental to teams than suspensions. Axisa grouped Beltrán with the PED cases as cheating, but accepted the league's decision not to suspend players like him, who had retired.
Other ballot differences included Snyder's votes for Dustin Pedroia and Jimmy Rollins, which Axisa partially endorsed—yes for Pedroia, no for Rollins, whom he saw as short of Cooperstown despite strong defense and 470 steals. Both named David Wright as a tough omission, with careers mirroring Pedroia's in longevity and impact.
On starting pitchers, they aligned on Mark Buehrle, Cole Hamels, Andy Pettitte and Félix Hernández, recognizing the modern era's challenges to traditional benchmarks like 300 wins. "These four are right at the line for what I would consider a Hall of Famer," Axisa stated, with Hamels as his top choice among them. Snyder concurred, appreciating their peaks and consistency amid evolving baseball standards.