Beltrán brings baggage to next year’s ballot

With Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling off the ballot, next year’s Hall of Fame vote figures to be a bit less contentious.

Then again, the top newcomer arrives with his own recent baggage. Forget about steroids for a minute, it’s time to talk about sign stealing.

Carlos Beltrán is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2023, and although the sweet-swinging outfielder had a distinguished career at the plate and in the field, he was implicated in the Houston Astros’ signstealing scandal. It cost him a managing job with the New York Mets.

It’s unclear whether voters will treat Beltrán as harshly as they have Bonds, Clemens and various other stars whose accomplishments have been called into question by allegations of performanceenhancing drug use. All of Bonds’ home runs and Clemens’ Cy Young Awards weren’t enough for either to reach the 75% threshold for induction to the Hall in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, and they were both rejected in their 10th and final year on the ballot.

Schilling turned off voters with his behavior in recent years, including social media posts about Muslim extremists, transgender people and journalists. He and Sammy Sosa also fell short in their 10th year in the voting announced Tuesday. David Ortiz was the only player elected.

Needless to say, next year’s ballot will look a lot different.

THE NEWBIE

Beltrán stands out on next year’s eligibility list: A nine-time All-Star, his 20-year career included 435 home runs, 312 stolen bases and some impressive postseason numbers. Beltrán finally won a World Series in his final season — with Houston in 2017.