Former Toronto Blue Jays slugger Carlos Delgado and current bench coach Don Mattingly both have a chance to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame next year.

On Monday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame released the upcoming class that’ll be featured on the Contemporary Era ballot (since 1980), including Delgado and Mattingly, as well as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jeff Kent, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela.

Each of those eight candidates must receive at least 75 per cent of the votes — the same as the regular Hall of Fame voting process — from the 16-member committee to be inducted into Cooperstown. The voting results will be announced during MLB Network’s broadcast on Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Most of the attention will undoubtedly revolve around Bonds and Clemens, neither of whom received the necessary voting support to be inducted during their respective 10 years on the traditional Hall of Fame ballot. They each finished with less than 70 per cent of the vote from the 394 ballots cast during their 10th and final year of eligibility.

Chances are, neither will likely reach the required 75 per cent this time around, either, due to their alleged past involvement with PEDs.

Delgado, a two-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger, spent 12 seasons with the Blue Jays from 1993 to 2004 and remains the franchise’s all-time leader in home runs (336), RBIs (1,058) and SLG (.556). He also ranks second in total games played (1,423) and third in fWAR (34.7).

The right-handed-hitting first baseman eclipsed 40 home runs three separate times and 100 RBIs five times — all with Toronto. He was an AL MVP runner-up in 2003, the second of two top-five finishes across four seasons from 2000-03.

Mattingly, of course, was one of the best hitters of his generation in the 1980s, winning three Silver Slugger Awards, a batting title in ’84, and an AL MVP Award in ’85. He also led the league in hits twice (’84, ’86) and finished with a career batting average of .307.

The six-time All-Star is probably best known for his elite defence, though, as evidenced by his nine career Gold Gloves across his 14-year career — all with the New York Yankees. Injuries, however, took a major toll on him towards the end of his playing days, limiting the Bronx Bomber legend to fewer than 150 games played in four of his final six seasons.

With Bonds and Clemens unlikely to be voted in, it’ll bust open the door for the other six Contemporary Era candidates, particularly Kent, Murphy and Mattingly.