Baseball-MLB to open Mexico City office in 2016

March 24 (Reuters) - Major League Baseball is opening a Mexico City office in 2016 and has renewed a deal with a long-time Mexican broadcast partner, the league said on Thursday as part of a bid to grow its fan base.

Mexico City will be the sixth MLB office outside the United States - joining Beijing, London, Santo Domingo, Sydney and Tokyo - and will direct league efforts to embrace local fans and partners of baseball.

"Commissioner (Rob) Manfred's vision for globalizing baseball cannot become a reality without localizing MLB in Mexico," Chris Park, MLB's senior vice president of growth, strategy and international, said in a statement.

MLB also said it renewed a broadcast deal with Televisa through 2018 that includes a new national "Game of the Week" that will air each Saturday during the season.