updated 9:29 a.m. ET Dec. 8, 2005

DALLAS - Roger Clemens came out of retirement and helped his hometown Houston Astros reach their first World Series. Now that he’s pondering his future again, they won’t wait for his decision.

With Clemens uncertain whether he will pitch again or retire after two years in Houston — and 22 overall — the Astros declined to offer salary arbitration on Wednesday. The move means the seven-time Cy Young-winner can’t re-sign with the National League champions before May 1.

“We’ve had two great years, and they were special years,” general manager Tim Purpura said. “The fact of the matter is Roger’s 43 years old. ... We’re not talking about somebody in the middle of a great career. We’re talking about somebody who’s at the end of a great career.”

Still, Purpura calls it “one of the more gut-wrenching, difficult decisions” the Astros have had to make.

“We expected this because we talked a great deal about this,” said Clemens’ agent, Randy Hendricks. “It’s no surprise.”

The Astros didn’t want to risk going to salary arbitration while they awaited the Rocket’s decision. Clemens still intends to pitch for the United States in March during the inaugural World Baseball Classic.

Clemens made $18 million this season when he led the major leagues with a career-best 1.87 ERA and went 13-8. He finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting behind 20-game winners Chris Carpenter and Dontrelle Willis.

Clemens had an injured leg and back late in the season and was forced out of his start in Game 1 of the World Series against the Chicago White Sox after only two innings.

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“The health is not an issue. It’s the willingness of Roger to play, and we just don’t know that,” Purpura said. “To tie up resources for that long of a period of time would really hurt our ability to move forward.”

Houston’s decision could lead to other teams trying to lure Clemens, such as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, two of his former clubs.

“If anybody calls, we’ll listen,” Hendricks said.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of teams that would like to have Roger pitching for them next year,” said Craig Shipley, a Red Sox special assistant.

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman said late Wednesday night that he wouldn’t rule anything out, but wasn’t ready to discuss Clemens’ availability.

“We all know who Roger Clemens is, and how special a player he is. I guess all that’s for another time,” Cashman said. “I will be engaging all players in the free agent market.”

Hendricks doesn’t expect Clemens to make his call for at least a month.

“Nothing has changed about his plan to decide in late January, early February,” Hendricks said, adding that Clemens’ performance in the WBC could play a part in the decision. “I expect that will be a form of a litmus test to see how feels about playing mentally and physically.”

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