Commissioner on reinstating Pete Rose: 'It's conversation I'm expecting to have'

Major League Baseball's new commissioner Rob Manfred is preparing himself to deal with a 25-year-old problem inherited from his predecessor Bud Selig. 

Former Cincinnati Red and MLB all-time hits leader Pete Rose was declared permanently ineligible from Major League Baseball in 1989 due to gambling on games, though Manfred expects to have a conversation with the 73-year-old regarding possible reinstatement. 

"I've been very careful not to say anything about the merits of it because ultimately I'll have to make a decision there," Manfred told ESPN Radio on Thursday, as reported by Lindsey Foltin of FOX Sports. "It's conversation I'm expecting to have." 

Rose said last summer that he believed his chances for reinstatement would be increased once Selig left his position. 

"Buddies tell me that I've got a good chance to be on the ballot when Bud leaves office,'' Rose told Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports in June. "But hey, what if the next commissioner is Bud's best friend? What if my best chance is for Bud to reinstate me himself?

"I really believe there's a chance.''

Manfred has expressed more openness regarding legalized sports betting and it's involvement in baseball during a recent interview - a contrast when compared to Selig's overwhelming opposition. 

"Gambling in terms of our society has changed its presence on legalization," Manfred said Thursday on ESPN's "Outside the Lines," via ESPN "and I think it's important for there to be a conversation between me and the owners about what our institutional position will be."

Rose recorded 4,256 hits, 160 home runs, 1,314 RBIs and 198 stolen bases while hitting a career .303/.375/.409 in 3,562 games in the majors.