More European MLB game rumours

Following the today's Major League Baseball exhibition game in Mexico City, the Palm Beach Post reports that MLB is now "setting its sights on regular-season games in Europe", possibly as early as next year.

Because MLB believes that playing games during spring training would be difficult -- given that the European climate is not exactly like Arizona or Florida -- the games would be played mid-season, either just before or just after the All-Star break.

Paul Archey, a vice president for Major League Baseball International, told the Post that Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is among nine owners who have expressed interest in a game in Europe.

Italy, France, the Netherlands and Great Britain are among the candidate countries to the host the game. Archey specifically mentioned possible venues in Florence, Palermo, Rome and Paris.

"It's definitely something we want to do and plan to do,'' Archey told the Post. "You can only do so much marketing through television and sponsorships. You've got to take the game to the people and we've see n the benefits of that when we've played games in Japan and in Latin America.''

Marlins President David Samson called Europe "a huge untapped market for baseball."