May 24, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves co-owner Alex Rodriguez reacts against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half in game three of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Yankees Legend Alex Rodriguez Shares Heartbreaking HOF Thoughts

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Dec 29, 2025 12:37 PM ET

The National Baseball Hall of Fame votes are being counted, with 18.7% of ballots known at time of writing, and former New York Yankees star infielder Alex Rodriguez is unlikely to make the HOF once again. As of this moment, Rodriguez has been named by 51.3% of voters, and he would need 75% with all votes counted.

For his part, A-Rod recently opened up about his chances at the Hall of Fame, and noted that he would still be in a lot of pain if he did make it to Cooperstown.

“I have a life today that I didn’t have for the first 40 years,” Rodriguez said in an exclusive interview with The Athletic. “If I went to the Hall of Fame, in a weird way, I would be hollow inside. I would still be in a lot of pain."

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“I would rather have what I have today, because it really helped me unlock a lot of the work that I needed to do.”

In his recent HBO Documentary series, Alex vs. A-Rod, Rodriguez credits his time in therapy for all the progress he has made with his own inner life. His therapist, Dr. David Schnarch, passed away in 2020, and A-Rod has since opened up about how much therapy helped him after his suspension from the sport.

“I’m like, ‘Whoa, what the hell am I doing here? This doesn’t make any sense,’” Rodriguez said. “But the more I stayed with it, the more it started to really affect me in a positive way. Seeing things in a different way and then looking at my past, definitely not as a victim but understanding some of my behavior and making sure that I’m learning from those behaviors and it never happens again.”

A-Rod's Previous Hall of Fame Comments

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A-Rod is likely to miss the Hall of Fame for his connection to performance-enhancing drugs, a common reason for legendary players from his era to be excluded from the Hall. Rodriguez made the case for Barry Bonds, who suffers from a similar problem, in late November, and called out current Hall of Famer Bud Selig (commissioner of baseball from 1998-2015), naming him as somewhat responsible for the scandals of that era.

"All of this stuff you're talking about was under Bud Selig's watch," Rodriguez said. "And the fact that those two guys [Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire] are not in, but somehow, Bud Selig is in the Hall of Fame, that to me feels like there's a little bit, some hypocrisy around that."

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