MLB Cracks Down on AI: Dugout iPads Restricted Amid Strategy Concerns; Mets Involved

Major League Baseball (MLB) has implemented new restrictions on iPad usage within dugouts, specifically to prevent teams from leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for strategy decisions during games. This significant policy shift was reportedly influenced by the New York Mets' advanced use of technology, as revealed by former reliever Adam Ottavino.

Previously, dugout tablets offered access to video and league-provided data, alongside a customizable tab allowing teams to run other programs. However, starting with the second half of the season on Wednesday night, MLB rendered these custom tabs inaccessible. According to a June 11 memo from MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword, obtained by The Associated Press, these custom tabs had "expanded the use of the dugout iPads beyond their originally intended purpose to include recommendations regarding substitutions, pitch calling, and other in-game decisions traditionally made by players and coaches."

The news sparked strong reactions, with Yankees captain Aaron Judge expressing disbelief: "I read the article and I was like, I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Teams are making decisions off of AI? Man, that’s just crazy." Adam Ottavino, who pitched for the Mets from 2022-24 and is now a broadcaster, elaborated on the situation during his YouTube livestream "Baseball & Coffee," explicitly stating that the Mets had been using AI. He cited team owner Steve Cohen's substantial investment in the software.

Ottavino further claimed, "The Mets were actually the team, the main team, that got cracked down on." He described an apparently expensive AI program, costing "several hundred thousand dollars," that was helping the Mets "pick pitches and I think some other stuff." He noted that some coaches around the league had been discussing the Mets' early bragging about the system. MLB, upon discovering this, "nipped that right in the bud," although Ottavino suggested other teams were also involved.

When approached for comment, the Mets declined to respond. While a review by the competition committee found that clubs had been compliant with existing regulations, the new prohibition was instituted to give teams relying on the custom tab "appropriate lead-time to make any necessary adjustments" ahead of the second half of the season.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider found the report "a little weird to kind of see... where you can do things kind of in real time that can sway your decision one way or another." He emphasized the particular impact on "calling pitches and kind of seeing how that can evolve in real time via technology."

The use of iPads in MLB dugouts began as a pilot program late in the 2015 season and was expanded in 2016 through a deal with Apple. Video access was temporarily removed during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season following the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal but was reinstated in 2021.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo acknowledged the broader trend, stating, "It hasn’t impacted us at all but I know AI is entering our arena for sure. It’s entering everyone’s arena. You better get on it, or you’re going to get rolled over by it." This incident underscores the growing intersection of advanced technology and traditional sports, prompting MLB to define the boundaries of AI assistance in live gameplay.