Given that MLB now has a strict anti-doping policy I think it's fairly obviously cheating since it's breaking an explicit rule. Same as the spitball. Doesn't mean people aren't still going to make it into the HOF by doing it, but for some reason the difference seems to be that the BWAA will put you in even if everybody knows you threw the spitter and got away with it, but they won't put you in if you used PEDs or even are under any remote suspicion of having used PEDs.