DALLAS — Concluding their high-profile three-day fall ownership meetings at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas on Thursday afternoon, the thirty Major League Baseball franchise owners passed two landmark resolutions that will reshape the landscape of America's pastime. The owners voted unanimously to implement the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system across all thirty major league stadiums beginning on Opening Day 2027, and formally authorized Commissioner Rob Manfred to establish an expansion committee to oversee the addition of two new franchises, expanding the league to 32 teams.
The adoption of the ABS challenge system marks the most radical technological modernization of baseball officiating since the introduction of instant replay in 2008. Rather than replacing human umpires with an entirely computerized strike zone on every pitch—a format tested in the minor leagues that drew criticism for dampening pitch-framing artistry—MLB will adopt the "challenge format" successfully refined in Triple-A over the past three seasons.
Under the approved rules, human home plate umpires will continue to call all balls and strikes in real time. However, each team will be granted three challenges per game, which can be initiated immediately by the batter, pitcher, or catcher tapping their cap. Optical Hawk-Eye high-speed cameras positioned around the stadium trusses will instantly track the ball's trajectory relative to a customized 3D strike zone calibrated to the batter's specific height, displaying the decision on stadium jumbotron screens and to television broadcast feeds within 2.8 seconds. If the challenge is successful, the team retains the challenge; if unsuccessful, the challenge is forfeited.
"Our comprehensive testing in the minor leagues confirmed that the challenge system preserves the traditional rhythm and pageantry of baseball while swiftly correcting obvious misses in high-leverage moments," Commissioner Manfred said during the concluding press conference. "Players, umpires, and fans are aligned in the belief that games should never be decided by an errant call in the ninth inning. This system provides precision, fairness, and instant dramatic entertainment."
Concurrently, the owners officially authorized the opening of formal franchise bidding procedures for cities vying for the league's 31st and 32nd franchises. Ownership groups representing Nashville, Tennessee, and Salt Lake City, Utah, have emerged as the leading front-runners, having already secured finalized downtown ballpark lease packages and bipartisan legislative bond authorizations exceeding $1.5 billion each. Expansion fees are projected to reach between $2.2 billion and $2.5 billion per team, which will be distributed equally among the thirty existing clubs upon final ratification in late 2027.
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