Ni Hao, Yankees!

The New York Yankees and the Chinese Baseball Association have agreed to partner with each other to promote baseball in the largest country in the world. Under the agreement, the Yankees send scouts, coaches, and trainers to China, and the Chinese will send staff to NY and Tampa to help the Yankees. The Yankees, along with MLB hope to take a slice of the growing Chinese sports market, much like the NBA has. This move is a small first step, but exemplifies how the league is trying to make inroads into this huge market. I admit, the news seems like standard fare, but I think the impact in the short and long term could be big for the Yanks. Having a leading foothold in this market could help them bring in China's top talent. They've been successful in recruiting in Japan, Cuba, and the Domincan Republic - opening the first door to another place like this could be huge.