MLB hopes to play regular-season games in Europe "within five years and return to Mexico for the first time" since '99, according to Ronald Blum of the AP. MLB Chief Legal Officer Dan Halem said, "The more you play in these countries on a continual basis rather than going to a country one year and then waiting five years to return, the better, in terms of developing baseball. Mexico is a priority of ours, in terms of further developing it as a baseball market. Europe, which we really haven't done much in over the years, is also a priority, but nothing certainly has been planned yet" (AP, 11/12). Meanwhile, in Chicago, Gordon Wittenmyer reports the Cubs and White Sox are two of the teams "under consideration" to be selected to "play the Cuban national team in an exhibition in Cuba late next spring." The teams "have two of the better young Cuban hitters in the majors" in Cubs RF Jorge Soler and White Sox 1B Jose Abreu. MLB "solicited interest from clubs in committing to the potentially tough travel schedule just before the season opens." Sources said that some teams with interest "already have been informed they will not be considered" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 11/12). Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said of his team playing an exhibition game in Cuba, "We would do it depending on the logistics. We're willing to go" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/12).
CHANGE IN PHILOSOPHY: MLB Network’s John Smoltz said there are a "lot more moving parts" in today's MLB, including how analytics are being used. Smoltz said, "We have more of a direct line between the general manager and the manager than ever before with information." But he noted it is "very difficult to win in this game young." Smoltz: "We are in a young era where we are seeing young, dynamic guys trying to learn on the spot, win on the spot, young general managers. A lot of information, it does not always translate to success right away. It is interesting to me to see how this is going to pan out. If somebody does it, we copy it, we copy it, we copy it. Someone will break away from the pack and show that you can do it a little differently.” Former MLBer Todd Zeile said of statistical analysis’ increasing role in the game, “It kind of takes the feel of the game out of the manager's hands. It also takes away from the veteran/rookie or veteran/young mentorship. Guys coming up in the minor leagues now are so cognizant of what they have to do from a sabermetrics perspective to be successful that they do not really need to know the ins and outs of the game or the integrity of the game. I think there is a change in that atmosphere” (“MLB Tonight,” MLB Network, 11/12).
