Yankees future Hall of Famer reignites Barry Bonds debate with simple tweet

Though Yankees icon CC Sabathia is well known around these parts for piloting a 2009 World Series victory as the leader of a three-headed rotation (which would rate as inconceivably poor depth these days), his first post-career honor came down from his original team instead. The Guardians named Sabathia their 48th team Hall of Famer earlier this year; he'll be inducted on Aug. 3 with a corresponding bobblehead.

On Wednesday, Sabathia used his platform to congratulate another newly minted team Hall of Famer you might've heard of: an emotional Barry Bonds, who was elected to the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

While the voters behind the Big Hall in Cooperstown showed very few signs of softening toward Bonds' case as his time on the ballot expired, the Pirates' gesture feels like the gates being lowered just a bit. Bonds has already been allowed back in big-league dugouts since his career was forcibly ended following the 2007 season; he was the Marlins' hitting coach in 2016. The San Francisco Giants honored Bonds and appropriately retired his number in 2018. Now, the Pirates have extended an olive branch to both Bonds and Jim Leyland, a 2024 Hall of Famer who might just be able to advocate for his old pupil behind closed doors.

That would likely make Sabathia very happy, who put his stamp on the official record on Wednesday morning with a simple tweet that spoke volumes about Bonds' enduring status.

Yankees legend CC Sabathia gives Pirates Hall of Famer Barry Bonds Goat Stamp of Approval

Side note: Remember when there was a brief rumbling that the Yankees were poised to extend Bonds' career with a contract offer for a DH role after the 2007 season? That totally should have happened. That would have been awesome. He was "washed up" OBPing .480 with 28 homers in 126 games at age 42.

Side-er note: Remember when Bonds almost chose the Yankees instead of the Giants in 1992? That ripple effect is too much to bear; just give him to us in 2008 instead of blackballing him from baseball, and we'll call it even.

Sabathia himself is eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 2025, alongside other notable first-year eligible Ichiro. There won't be a "Contemporary Baseball Player" Veterans' Committee ballot until 2026, so if Sabathia is elected on the first ballot (as anticipated), Bonds can't join him in Cooperstown for at least one additional year.

And ... who are we kidding? It'll be longer than that, but we prefer kindness to cruelty. Sabathia will almost certainly bust down the door before the game's probable GOAT. Once he's inside, we suspect he might agitate for a certain legend's eventual election.