March 1, 2011 12:00:00 am

Pujols to test free-agent market

By Eric Kidd

Albert Pujols, widely regarded as the best active player in Major League Baseball, said that he would not consider reopening negotiations on a contract extension with the St. Louis Cardinals after the two sides failed to come to an agreement before the superstar reported to Spring Training.

It was widely reported that Pujols was looking for a contract worth at least $300 million over 10 years, which would have made him the highest paid player in the history of Major League Baseball, topping Alex Rodriguez’s latest contract extension of $275 million over 10 years. Pujols, though, had made it clear to the organization that he was not interested in entertaining any contract talks once the season began, imposing a deadline the day before reporting to Cardinal’s camp.

“After spending the last few weeks working toward an extension, we’ve suspended our conversations with the Cardinals, due to this morning’s self-imposed deadline,” Pujols said in a statement Wednesday. “Once the 2011 season is over, we hope to revisit those talks.”

Pujols agent, Dan Lozano, said that the reason for the deadline was to keep the contract talks from becoming a distraction for Pujols and his teammates during the season. “Pujols feels as strongly as ever that this team has the potential to win the World Series. That alone is why he will not permit his contractual situation to become a distraction or take away from his ability to reach that goal,” Lozano said.

Whether the Cardinals did enough in the days leading up to the deadline is in doubt. The St. Louis Dispatch reports that the Cardinals looked at “different avenues” to compensate Pujols, which may have included offering him a stake in the team to up the value of a potential contract, but it’s been spreading like wildfire through sports talk radio shows (which, as we all know, are well known for their level-headed insights) that the Cardinals’ final contract offer was in the range of $200+ million over eight years, which would have put Pujols in the top 10 of Major League earners, but still outside of the top 5.

In Pujols’ nine Major League seasons, he has won 3 NL MVP awards; is the active MLB leader for career Batting Average, Slugging Percentage and On-base Percentage; and he’s also led the Cardinals to a World Series Championship in 2006.

Rockies Pitcher Aaron Cook said, “I’m surprised something didn’t get done. He has the right to become a free agent and get what he wants. I hope for their sake it doesn’t become a distraction.