BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES : Torn Ligament Sidelines Braves’ Bielecki for Season

Chicago Cub slugger Andre Dawson says he’s trying to decide what to do next, after the club said it doesn’t have the money to sign him for next year.

“I’ll just weigh my options,” Dawson said before Wednesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

General Manager Larry Himes said Dawson will have plenty of options because he will be a free agent at the end of the season.

Dawson, 38, reportedly wants a two-year extension.

“I don’t want it to become anything personal,” Dawson said. “It’s their choice, their decision. I haven’t made any demands, we haven’t proposed anything. But it opens my eyes to a lot of things.”

Such as?

“I don’t want to get into it. It’s not worth it,” Dawson said. “They want their cake and eat it, too.”

An earlier report had it that the Cubs told Dawson on Monday that they don’t have the money to sign him now because of the financial constraints brought about by the $28-million contract extension for Ryne Sandberg and efforts to sign pitcher Greg Maddux to a long-term deal.

“It’s not a question of our feelings about Andre,” said Stanton R. Cook, the Cubs’ chairman of the board. “Everybody knows how we feel about him. But now just isn’t the time to do it. That’s basically what it comes down to.”

Dawson, who has been hobbled for years with bad knees, said he doesn’t want to go to the American League to become a designated hitter and wants to close his career in the National League.

He leads the Cubs in home runs (15) and runs batted in (54). He has 392 career homers and is within reach of becoming the 25th player in the major leagues to hit 400 home runs.