No deal for Cardinals’ Albert Pujols

The St. Louis Cardinals made Albert Pujols what they said was their best offer.

It wasn’t enough.

The deadline Pujols set for the Cardinals to reach a new contract agreement passed Wednesday with no deal, making it likely that the three-time most valuable player will become a free agent after the World Series. The Cardinals said they will respect Pujols’ wishes and not request more talks during the season, unless their first baseman surprisingly changes his mind.

“A difference of opinion in determining Albert’s value simply could not be resolved,” said Pujols’ agent, Dan Lozano.

The Cardinals would not reveal their offer, though it was thought to be somewhere around $200 million for eight years, possibly with an opportunity for Pujols to obtain an ownership stake in the franchise once his playing days are complete.

When — and if — talks resume, it’s unclear if St. Louis will increase its offer to Pujols’ liking.

“We explored a number of different things in the negotiation,” Cardinals Chairman William DeWitt Jr. said at a news conference. “Without getting specific in what those were, there was discussion about other things that could be part of the contract. … You can be sure that we explored a number of different avenues.”

Pujols will make $16 million this season in his contract’s final year, with $4 million of the money deferred with no interest. A nine-time All-Star, Pujols is the only player in major league history to hit 30 or more home runs each of his first 10 seasons — all with the Cardinals.

Pujols is expected to be in Cardinals’ camp Thursday, two days ahead of when position players were asked to report. Lozano said Pujols does not want to discuss his contract status either now or during the season.

Second baseman Rickie Weeks agreed to a $38.5-million, four-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers that contains a 2015 option which could increase the total value to $50 million.

Weeks, 28, was a day from an arbitration hearing after saying last month that he would end long-term contract talks with the team when he reported to spring training. After making $2.85 million last year, he sought $7.2 million in arbitration. The team offered $4.85 million.

Weeks hit .269 with 29 home runs, 83 runs batted in and 112 runs in 160 games as the Brewers’ primary leadoff hitter last season, shattering most of the franchise’s marks for a second baseman while putting up the best power numbers in his career.

Texas Rangers pitcher Omar Beltre was diagnosed with a genetic narrowing of the spine and is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday. Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine said Beltre, 29, has a condition called spinal stenosis. Levine said the Rangers don’t know of any other baseball player who has had this surgery.

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Grizzlies’ Gay has shoulder injury

Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay is expected to sit out at least four weeks because of a left shoulder injury. An MRI showed a partial dislocation of the shoulder.

The Charlotte Bobcats rewarded Paul Silas, making him their coach on a permanent basis and giving him a one-year contract extension. Silas, who had been the interim replacement for Larry Brown, has helped get the Bobcats into playoff contention after they started 9-19.

Diana Taurasi had her provisional suspension lifted by the Turkish Basketball Federation, which said the lab that returned a positive test retracted its report after it “evaluated” Taurasi’s statements in her defense. The federation did not say whether the lab made a mistake.

Taurasi, who has insisted that she has never used performance-enhancing drugs, had her contract terminated by Turkish club Fenerbahce last month. The lab that tested her sample had said the results came back positive for the stimulant modafinil. Taurasi intends to return to the WNBA when the season begins in June. The Phoenix Mercury guard has led the league in scoring the last four seasons and signed a multiyear contract extension in August.

The Tulsa Shock re-signed Marion Jones to a multiyear deal. Terms were not disclosed.

ETC.

Wozniacki advances in Dubai

Anna Chakvetadze collapsed on the court at the Dubai Championships in the United Arab Emirates and had to retire from her match against top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki. The 23-year-old Russian was serving for the second set at 5-3. After a long rally that Wozniacki won, Chakvetadze wobbled before fainting.

She was given extensive medical treatment during a seven-minute delay and returned for one more point before forfeiting the match. Organizers said Chakvetadze, who lost the first set, 6-1, had a stomach illness.

In the first big upset of the tournament, Australian Open finalist Li Na wasted four match points in a 6-7 (6), 7-6 (6), 6-2 loss to Belgian Yanina Wickmayer. Grand Slam winners Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova both won, setting up their first meeting since their nearly five-hour epic at the Australian Open.

Arsenal rallied in the second half to beat Barcelona, 2-1, in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 match at London, and three Brazilians scored for Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine in its 3-2 victory against host Roma.

Chivas USA traded midfielder Sal Zizzo to the Portland Timbers from Chivas USA for allocation money. The 23-year-old from San Diego joined Chivas in July from Hannover of the German Bundesliga. He left UCLA after his sophomore season.

Arizona Cardinals Coach Ken Whisenhunt completed the restructuring of his staff, promoting Mike Miller to offensive coordinator.

For the first time since 2006 and only the second time in the last five years, The Times’ Sports section received the Triple Crown in annual judging by the Associated Press Sports Editors, with top-ten finishes for daily, Sunday and special sections. The Dallas Morning News and the Denver Post were the only other large-circulation papers to earn that distinction for 2010.

In addition, Bill Dwyre and Gary Klein received top-10 recognition in the breaking news category for their story on the resignation of Mike Garrett and hiring of Pat Haden as USC’s athletic director. Sachi Cunningham and Dan Weikel were named top five in the multimedia category for their Chasing the Swell project.