SAN DIEGO -- Playing in a market that can't support big-bucks broadcast contracts, the San Diego Padres are turning to an Indian tribe and other companies for sponsorship deals.

The Sycuan Band of Mission Indians, which runs a casino in San Diego County, will be the title sponsor of the Padres' 2000 season.

It's believed to be the first time a major league franchise has sold such a sponsorship. The Sycuan tribe will pay more than $1.5 million, with just under $1 million going to the team and the rest going to radio and TV advertising, two sources familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The deal was to be announced Monday.

The cash-strapped Padres also are negotiating with several other companies and will announce three presenting sponsors during spring training. The title and presenting sponsorships could net the club about $3.5 million total, the source said.

Padres officials know that some fans might complain about commercialization, but they say it's a way to pay the bills without raising ticket prices.

"It's the realization of where we are today," said Mike Dee, the Padres' senior vice president of corporate marketing. "Really, teams have one of two choices -- find creative ways to raise revenue, or pass costs along to fans. ... We want a family of four to always come to see Padres baseball and enjoy it. We're going to continue to develop these kind of deals to ensure that part of the deal."

San Diego's season will be marketed much like a bowl game or golf tournament is. A logo reading "Padres 2000, presented by Sycuan" will be used on club publications, on tickets, at the ballpark and in advertising. Telephone receptionists at the club's offices will even recite the line.

The logo, which will include the team's Swinging Friar mascot and palm trees -- several palm trees are just beyond the outfield fence at Qualcomm Stadium -- will not be worn on the players' uniforms.

The cartoonish Swinging Friar logo has been associated with the Padres off and on since 1958, when they were in the minor leagues. San Diego was built around Spanish missions settled by Franciscan friars to convert Indians to Christianity.

Padres president Larry Lucchino wouldn't confirm the exact amount, but said Monday it was "an attractive deal for us, and a gigantic exposure for them."

Lucchino said the deal is acceptable under baseball's rules because Sycuan's casino does not have sports-book betting. Sycuan and two other tribes with gaming operations, Viejas and Barona, have had prior sponsorships with the Padres, although on a much smaller basis.

The Padres say they have sustained operating losses since software mogul John Moores bought the team in December 1994, with Lucchino as a minority partner. Although San Diego is among the nation's biggest cities, it is a small broadcast market, meaning there's less money to be made from radio and TV deals.