Pirates Almost Landed Pete Rose
Cincinnati Reds and MLB legend Pete Rose passed away this week at the age of 83 years old. It was a sad loss for the world of baseball. There is an interesting connection between him and the Pittsburgh Pirates as well.
Rose, known affectionately by many as the "Hit King," was one of the best players that Major League Baseball has ever seen. Unfortunately, he also got himself into a betting scandal that ended up with the league banning him.
It was a sad end to his career, but one that has been often debated amongst fans. Many believe that he still should have been nominated and voted into the MLB Hall of Fame.
Of course, Rose was a longtime rival for the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, he was almost a member of the Pirates at one point in time.
After the 1978 season, the Reds and Rose went through a tough contract situation that led to him deciding to test the waters and potentially leave Cincinnati.
A wide of range of teams made offers to Rose when he hit free agency. The Pirates were one of those teams.
When all was said and done, Rose narrowed down his options to just three teams. He was considering Pittsburgh, the Kansas City Royals, and the Philadelphia Phillies. Quickly, he had crossed the Royals off of that list.
Finally, he opted to sign with the Phillies due to Philadelphia offering slightly more money.
Pittsburgh coming so close to signing Rose is still painful to those who remember the situation. Having one of the best players of all-time join the Pirates would have been extremely entertaining.
Despite not getting Rose during the offseason as a free agent, Pittsburgh went on to win the World Series in 1979. One can only wonder how good the team would have been had they landed Rose.
The MLB legend ended up leading the Phillies to a World Series win in 1980. Unfortunately, the Pirates have not been back to the World Series since they won in 1979.
All of that being said, our prayers are with Rose's family and friends during this difficult time. It's still a regret that we never got to see him play for the Pirates.
