2:28pm: Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal reports that once the umpires' and players' unions approve the system, a separate vote to enact the rule changes will take place when the owners meet in January.
The new challenge system will be verbal. Beyond that, if managers walk on the field to protest a call, they will no longer be able to challenge it. Costa quotes Manfred: "What we'd like to have is a trade-off. We no longer spend time arguing, and in return, you have a right to challenge. What we want to avoid is arguing for a while and then you challenge."
According to Manfred, umpires will still be able to initiate replays even after a manager has exhausted his challenges. That is still one of the details to be discussed by umpires.
NOV. 14, 11:05am: : ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that MLB owners have approved funding for replay expansion in 2014. The system will still need to be approved by the players' and umpires' unions, though their approval is fully expected, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
MLB COO Rob Manfred confirmed to reporters, including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, that the new replay system will be based on manager challengers (Twitter link). Rosenthal adds that there will be a maximum of two challenges per team, per game, regardless of inning. Davidi also tweets that managers will lose their second challenge if they are incorrect on the first one.
AUG. 15: Major League Baseball is prepared to move forward with a radical expansion of instant replay, but an official announcement will be delayed until November, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
The new replay policy will allow managers to ask for replay reviews in a style that is similar to the NFL's challenge system. Managers will have three challenges — one in the first six innings of the game and two beyond that. Under the new system, which will be phased in starting next season, 89 percent of plays will be deemed reviewable. Should a manager exhaust his three challenges, the umpiring crew can still convene to conduct their own review of a questionable home run.
MLB vice president Joe Torre, former Braves GM John Schuerholz and advisor Tony La Russa presented the proposal to all 30 owners today. Commissioner Bud Selig told Nightengale that the proposal appeared to be widely accepted, and the commissioner called today a "historic" day for the game of baseball. A formal announcement won't occur until after the quarterly owners' meetings on Nov. 13-14.
