NEW YORK -- Baseball commissioner Bud Selig could fine teams up to $2 million instead of $250,000 and order increased revenue sharing under rule changes he hopes owners will approve next week, The Associated Press has learned.

The changes, which would give Selig far greater power and could lead to a confrontation with some large-market teams, are contained in amendments to the Major League Agreement scheduled for a vote Jan. 19-20 when owners meet in Phoenix. They are part of an overhaul that will eliminate the American and National leagues as legal entities.

"It's restoring authority back to the commissioner's office which should not have been taken away in the first place," former commissioner Peter Ueberroth said Thursday.

"If those things are approved, I think it will be a dramatic improvement for the game," Ueberroth said. "It gives Bud the power to attack the problems, the most important of which is the economic imbalance."

While there was no announcement, the proposed changes were revealed to the AP by two high-ranking baseball officials who spoke on the condition they not be identified.

"I think that anything that increases the power of the commissioner in this circumstance is a good thing," former commissioner Fay Vincent said. "I think it's a compliment to Bud."

In January 1994, owners weakened the commissioner's power to act in the best interests of baseball by prohibiting that authority on any matter subject to a vote by teams.

Since then, some teams have ignored the commissioner's office, especially Selig's directive to consider more minorities for executive and manager openings.

One of the changes Selig is proposing could give him broad power to order more revenue sharing, saying he would "without limitation" have the right to ensure "there is an appropriate level of long-term competitive balance among the clubs."

Some teams might argue that language doesn't specifically give the commissioner unilateral power on revenue sharing, which could lead to a fight, but courts have generally upheld the commissioner's broad authority to act under the "best interests" clause.

While revenue sharing has increased markedly since the latest plan started in 1996, there is concern among owners and fans about a lack of competitive balance, especially with the New York Yankees winning three of the last four World Series.

The eight playoff teams were among the 10 top spenders last year. Since the end of the 1994-95 strike, just one team not among the top half by payroll has advanced to the postseason: the 1997 Houston Astros.

While the small markets want more competition, many large-market owners, including the Yankees' George Steinbrenner, question whether they should give up more revenue.

"My sense is, in the end, most everybody will do what they think is best for the game and not their selfish proprietary interest," said Colorado Rockies owner Jerry McMorris, whose team is among the revenue leaders.

Additional changes proposed would give the commissioner power to modify teams' TV territories and to control their Internet activities.

Selig and Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief legal counsel, didn't return telephone calls seeking comment. The players' association may argue that it has the right to approve any revenue sharing changes because the current arrangement is included in its labor agreement.

"It sounds to me like the net of this is that Buddy has succeeded in gaining more power," said former commissioner Bowie Kuhn, whose maximum fining power was $5,000.

"The more power you give the commissioner, the better off the game is going to be," Kuhn said, "and that is not merely a sentimental comment. I was concerned about the changes in 1994 because it diminished the power. This sounds like it's going the other way. This is the way it ought to go."

NBA commissioner David Stern can fine teams up to $5 million and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman up to $1 million. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue can fine teams up to $500,000 in most instances and up to $2 million for salary-cap violations.

"The majority of us want to be sure the commissioner has appropriate authority to deal with his responsibilities," said McMorris, who in 1997-98 headed the commissioner search committee. "Clearly, when we were doing the commissioner search, there were candidates who were concerned whether they had enough authority to do the job. We now definitely have a different landscape without two league presidents being in the picture."