Facing fans' laments that Cuban baseball is eroding because of players' defections to the United States and contracts to play in other countries, the Cuban government on Thursday ended the export deals and lifted the ban on three players accused of plotting to flee.

Over the past two years, Cuba had sent about 30 of its older baseball stars to play in semi-pro leagues in Japan, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The players earned hard currency for the government but only modest salaries for themselves, unlike the multimillion-dollar contracts for players who flee to the United States and play in the major leagues.

Cuban baseball officials told fans that the players going abroad on government contracts had ``retired'' from national play to make way for younger talents who would maintain Cuba's position at the top of the world's amateur ranks.

But few bought that line, and radio and television reports over the past year have often noted fans' complaints that the quality of play at home has dropped steeply. Attendance at games is down.

Cuban Baseball Commissioner Carlos Rodriguez told the official Prensa Latina news agency Thursday that Havana would not sign any more deals for players to go abroad.

The 13 Cubans already playing in Japan under a deal signed in December will finish their season, Rodriguez said, ``but then there will be no more Cuban baseball players in the foreign leagues.''

Rodriguez also announced that he had lifted the suspension imposed on three top players and two coaches last year on suspicion that they were planning to defect to the United States with the help of Florida-based baseball agents.

Players German Mesa, Eduardo Paret and Osmani Garcia, and coaches Luis Enrique Gonzalez and Pedro Jova, were reinstated because of improvements in ``the behavior they have shown in their personal life and work.''

Cuba has been bleeding baseball stars in recent months -- four players and a coach last week, and pitcher Orlando ``El Duque'' Hernandez in December. Hernandez, brother of Marlins star Livan Hernandez, holds the Cuban record for pitching victories.

Some 20 Cubans now play in the U.S. major leagues.

This report was supplemented with material from Herald wire services.