On Monday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame released its list of finalists for the Class of 2026, which saw 27 names in total.

A player must receive 75% of votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America’s (BBWAA) voting body to receive election, and the results will be announced on January 20 of next year.

Here were the 12 newcomers to the list:

- Ryan Braun
- Shin-Soo Choo
- Edwin Encarnacion
- Gio Gonzalez
- Alex Gordon
- Cole Hamels
- Matt Kemp
- Howie Kendrick
- Nick Markakis
- Daniel Murphy
- Hunter Pence
- Rick Porcello

Here were the 15 holdovers from previous ballots, along with the percentage they received last year as well as how many times they’ve appeared on the ballot:

- Carlos Beltran, 70.3%, 4th year
- Andruw Jones, 66.2%, 9th year
- Chase Utley, 39.8%, 3rd year
- Alex Rodríguez, 37.1%, 5th year
- Manny Ramirez, 34.3%, 10th-and-final year
- Andy Pettitte, 27.9%, 8th year
- Felix Hernández, 20.6%, 2nd year
- Bobby Abreu, 19.5%, 7th year
- Jimmy Rollins, 18.0%, 5th year
- Omar Vizquel, 17.8%, 9th year
- Dustin Pedroia, 11.9%, 2nd year
- Mark Buehrle, 11.4%, 6th year
- Francisco Rodríguez, 10.2%, 4th year
- David Wright, 8.1%, 3rd year
- Torii Hunter, 5.1%, 6th year

MLB (@MLB) on X JUST IN: the new ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2026! 12 first-time candidates join 15 holdovers. A player must receive 75% of votes from the BBWAA for election. Results will be announced Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.

As you can see, there’s three names included on these lists that Red Sox fans are very familiar with - Manny Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia and Rick Porcello.

Let’s take a quick look at each, through the lens of whether or not they’ll have a shot at joining the likes of Williams, Ortiz and Martinez in Cooperstown next summer:

Manny Ramirez, LF

Teams: Cleveland Indians (1993-2000), Boston Red Sox (2001-08), Los Angeles Dodgers (2008-10), Chicago White Sox (2010), Tampa Bay Rays (2011)

Hardware:
- 12x All-Star (1995, 1998-2008)
- 2x World Series Champion (2004, 2007)
- 2004 World Series MVP
- 9x Silver Slugger Award (1995, 1999-2006)
- 2x AL Hank Aaron Award (1999, 2004)
- 2002 AL Batting Champion
- 2004 AL Home Run Leader
- 1999 AL RBI Leader
- Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame
- Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “Why in the name of God is this guy on his 10th-and-final year on the ballot?"

Then you remember he’s a “steroids guy,” and it all makes sense.

In 2009, Ramirez was suspended 50 games for violating baseball's drug policy by taking human chorionic gonadotropin, a women's fertility drug that is often taken after steroids. In the spring of 2011, Ramirez was informed by MLB of another violation of its drug policy which would have carried a 100-game suspension. Instead of sitting out almost an entire season, he chose to retire on April 8 rather than be suspended.

He made a few more attempts at a return to the majors, but they were futile. Ramirez’s major league career was over, and the greatest right-handed hitter of his generation was off into the baseball abyss as another disgraced icon of baseball’s PED Era.

While players in their final year on the ballot typically do see a jump in votes, going from 34.3% to 75% year-over-year is a bridge too far. While I’d love to see it happen, I’m not expecting ManRam to join his 2004 teammates in Cooperstown.

And just so we’re clear - he’d be wearing a Red Sox hat. Cleveland fans can back off.

Will he get in? No.

Dustin Pedroia, 2B

Teams: Boston Red Sox (2006-19)

Hardware:
- 4x All-Star (1995, 1998-2008)
- 3x World Series Champion (2007, 2013, 2018)
- 2008 AL MVP
- 2007 AL Rookie of the Year
- 4x Gold Glove Award Winner (2008, 2011, 2013-14)
- 2008 Silver Slugger Award
- Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame

While he’s one of my favorite players of all time, I believe his prime was too short lived for him to be a real candidate for entry into the hall. With that said, Pedroia’s peak was elite by any historical standard for a second baseman.

Across his 14-year career, he compiled 51.9 WAR, which exceeds-or-matches several Hall of Fame second basemen with similar or shorter careers, including Tony Lazzeri (48.0) and Billy Herman (55.5). During his prime years (2007-14), Pedroia averaged 5.1 WAR per season - a level of production that places him firmly among the top players of his era at any position.

His awards stack up like a Hall of Famer’s resume should - the list above speaks for itself. Only a handful of second basemen in MLB history have won both an MVP and Rookie of the Year; all eligible players with that combination are either in Cooperstown or widely considered Hall-worthy.

Pedroia was also one of the best defensive second basemen of his generation, posting +94 defensive runs saved - the third-highest total at the position since the metric began.

His career was cut short by a knee injury, but his peak production, elite defense, impact on championship teams, and major awards place him in the historical company of Hall of Fame second basemen. Had he played even two more average seasons, his WAR total would likely sit comfortably within established Hall of Fame norms.

Short career, Hall of Fame peak — that’s the Cooperstown case.

With that said…

Will he get in? No.

Rick Porcello, SP

Teams: Detroit Tigers (2009-14), Boston Red Sox (2015-19), New York Mets (2020)

Hardware:
- 2018 World Series Champion
- 2016 AL Cy Young Award
- 2016 AL Comeback Player of the Year
- 2016 MLB Wins Leader

Porcello had a long, respectable career, but his statistical record falls far short of Hall of Fame standards for starting pitchers.

Over 12 seasons, he finished with 29.4 career WAR, a total well-below the typical Cooperstown range. Modern Hall of Fame starters almost all sit above 60 WAR, and even the lowest-tier inductees (Catfish Hunter, for example, at 40.9) significantly exceed Porcello’s mark.

Aside from his standout 2016 Cy Young season, in which he went 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA, Porcello’s overall performance was closer to league average. His career ERA (4.40) and ERA+ (98) underscore this - an ERA+ below 100 means he was slightly worse than league average across his career. For comparison, every Hall of Fame starter of the modern era has a career ERA+ comfortably above 110, and most sit between 120-140.

His awards resume is also thin by hall standards: one Cy Young, one All-Star appearance, and no Gold Gloves or major milestone achievements (no 2,000 strikeouts, no 200 wins, etc.). While durability was a strength - he made at least 27 starts in 11 straight seasons - longevity without dominance doesn’t meet the Cooperstown threshold.

Porcello had a valuable career and one brilliant peak season, but an insufficient career WAR, below-average run prevention, and limited accolades place him well outside the Hall of Fame profile for starting pitchers.

Good career, not a Hall of Fame resume.

Hall of Very Good? Maybe.

Hall of Better Than OK? Definitely.

Will he get in? No.

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.