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Major League Baseball won't increase spending next season for the first time in four years because of the deteriorating economy, the sport's No. 2 official said.

``It's a challenging sponsorship market and advertising market,'' MLB President Bob DuPuy told reporters at the end of the first day of the quarterly owners' meeting in New York.

Baseball officials are talking with corporate partners about their sponsorship agreements, while teams including the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners have frozen ticket prices for next season out of concern for rising unemployment and the credit crunch.

A budget was submitted for club approval that was flat compared with last year, DuPuy said while declining to reveal figures, and the sport has also put a hold on unidentified initiatives. The last time baseball didn't boost spending was in 2003-2004, he said.

DHL, a unit of Deutsche Post AG, may end its sponsorship of the Atlanta Braves after announcing last week it's withdrawing from the U.S. express-delivery market. DuPuy said no sponsors have asked to delay or defer payments.

``We're talking to all of our sponsors to make sure we give them the most value,'' he said.

Separately, four groups bidding for the Chicago Cubs have met with DuPuy, executives from MLB.com and the MLB Network in the past month for financial discussions.

The second round of bids is due on Dec. 1, DuPuy said, and any buyer must be approved by 75 percent of baseball teams. Sam Zell's Tribune Co. is selling the franchise to help pay down $11.8 billion in debt.

Bidders include Tom Ricketts, the chairman of Incapital LLC whose father founded TD Ameritrade Holding Corp; Michael Tokarz of MVC Capital Inc.; Leo Hindery, managing partner of Intermedia Partners; and Hersch Klaff, a real-estate executive.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban also submitted a proposal to buy the Cubs, Wrigley Field and a 25 percent stake in a sports network. Cuban was accused two days ago by U.S. securities regulators of making illegal trades in an Internet search company. Cuban denied the charges.

(Source: Bloomberg)