Trump Pardons Baseball Icon Convicted of Tax Evasion

President Donald Trump pardoned an iconic Mets slugger who previously pled guilty to one felony count of tax evasion in 1995.

“President Trump has approved a pardon for Darryl Strawberry, three-time World Series champion and eight-time MLB All-Star,” a White House official told the New York Post on Nov. 7.

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 26: Darryl Strawberry, Donald Trump and guest attend the Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2012 in New York City. — James Devaney/WireImage

In 1995, Darryl Strawberry pleaded guilty to not paying the government more than $100,000 worth of income taxes after failing to report $350,000 worth of income from card and autograph shows and other promotional opportunities from 1986 to 1990.

His plea deal included three months of prison as a possibility, but when it came to sentencing, he didn’t receive any jail time. Instead, he was sentenced to three years’ probation that included six months of “home confinement without electronic monitoring.”

He was also ordered to pay about $350,000 in back taxes and penalties and had to attend substance-abuse counseling as well as do 100 hours of community service.

“Mr. Strawberry served time and paid back taxes after pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion,” the White House official explained.

The official also added that after his baseball career, Strawberry, now 63, “found faith in Christianity and has been sober for over a decade,” alleging that he “has become active in ministry and started a recovery center which still operates today.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 15: Darryl Strawberry attends Harold and Carole Pump Foundation 25th Anniversary Celebrity Dinner at The Beverly Hilton on August 15, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. — Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Harold and Carole Pump Foundation

Strawberry thanked Trump for the “full pardon” on Instagram, posting a carousel of photos with the president and crediting him “for finalizing this part of my life, allowing me to be truly free and clean from all of my past.”

He explained that he discovered the news he was being granted clemency on Nov. 6 when he received a call where “President Trump spoke warmly about my baseball days in NYC, praising me as one the greatest player (sic) of the ‘80s and celebrating the Mets.”

“This has nothing to do with politics—it’s about a Man, President Trump, caring deeply for a friend,” Strawberry concluded.

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The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment or questions to clarify if the pardon also applied to Strawberry’s other charges or only the tax evasion charges mentioned by the official.

In addition to evading taxes, Strawberry struggled with addiction, leading him to receive probation again after pleading no contest in 1999 to charges of cocaine possession and soliciting a prostitute.

He eventually served 11 months in Florida state prison after multiple probation violations, including while at a drug treatment center. He was released in 2003.

Drugs also effectively ended Strawberry’s career. He was suspended from the MLB in 2000 after testing positive for cocaine and did not return to play again. He had previously tested positive for cocaine in 1995.

Before his suspension, Strawberry was the 1983 National League Rookie of the Year and went on to have a 17-year career with the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers and Giants that included 335 home runs and 1,000 runs.

He was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2010, but never into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) holds a press conference to address efforts to expel him from the House of Representatives — ELIZABETH FRANTZ/REUTERS

Strawberry is the latest well-known figure to have received a pardon from Trump. In October, the president pardoned former Republican Rep. George Santos and the founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao.

Santos had pled guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges, while Zhao was pardoned following serving four months in jail after having pled guilty to failing to fix money laundering on Binance. After pardoning Zhao, Trump later claimed he had “no idea” who the billionaire was.

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