Dave Winfield doesn't think steroid users should be in the Hall of Fame

Former MLB outfielder Dave Winfield said on Monday's SI Now that he doesn't think players who have used performance-enhancing drugs should be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Former MLB outfielder Dave Winfield said on Monday's SI Now that he doesn't think players who have used performance-enhancing drugs should be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Winfield was inducted into the Hall in 2001 after a 22-year career. He was asked on SI Now whether he thinks New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez, who was suspended for the 2014 season for using performance-enhancing drugs, should be in the Hall of Fame. 

“The guys that have chosen to use performance-enhancing drugs, chances are they've broken a lot of records, they've gotten big contracts, they've won awards, but to ask to be in the Hall of Fame, no, I think that's a little much,” said Winfield. “The guys that have used them, admitted, have been caught or whatever, should probably not be in the Hall of Fame. And I don't have a problem saying that.”

• VERDUCCI: Why I'll never vote for a known steroids user for the HOF

There has been great debate over whether players linked to steroid use, such as Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire, should be voted into the Hall of Fame. Both Bonds and Clemens received less than 40% of the vote in their third year on the ballot, while McGwire received only 10% in his ninth year. 

In February, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said that he advises Hall of Fame voters to refrain from surmising that candidates used performance-enhancing drugs without “credible evidence.”

- Molly Geary