Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Jul 5, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) reacts with teammates in the dugout after scoring a run against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Truist Park.
The New York Mets may well be the reason that Major League Baseball had to step in recently and ban the use of AI in dugouts, according to former Mets reliever Adam Ottavino.
The league announced Thursday that it had banned the use of generative AI on dugout tablets after many teams had begun to use them beyond their initial intent.
A report from The Athletic states the MLB commissioner’s office determined that “in many cases” teams instaled custom apps to alter 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.”
“Gotta stop the cheating before there’s cheating now,” one front office executive said of the decision.
But what exactly was the cheating?
Adam Ottavino Says New York Mets Used Generative AI To Predict Pitches
Ottavino, who had a 15-year big league career that included a three-year stint with the Mets from 2022-24, recently claimed that the team paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for AI software that helped them predict pitches from in the dugout as the game was going on.
“The Mets were the main team that got cracked down on it. They had an AI program that was very expensive, and they were bragging about it a little bit, early on in the year,” Ottavino said. “Some of the coaches that I know were talking about it from around the league.
“They had, basically, an AI program helping them pick pitches and I think some other stuff. But MLB got wind of it and nipped that right in the bud.”
Batters? Pitchers? Both? Hundreds of thousands of dollars for AI in the dugout????? Meet the Mets! https://t.co/L7SgX4AKHL pic.twitter.com/WpNriyB51y
— Lazy Mary (@Verd25) July 17, 2026
Ottavino did state that the Mets weren’t the only team with the technology, but they were the most predominant users.
If what Ottavino says is true, it’s a pretty awful look for a Mets offense that has been one of the worst in the league this season. In fact, New York ranks just 25th in the league in runs per game at 4.10.
If they struggled that badly with the technology to know what pitches are coming, it’ll be interesting to see how the Mets hitters look the rest of the way without AI on their side.