Glavine undecided about his future

NEW YORK, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine said he needs more time to decide his future and whether he'll return to baseball next season.

Major League baseball rules give the 41-year-old left-hander an option of five days after a team's final game to decide if he will stay another season.

On the Mets' Web site, Glavine characterized the deadline for exercising the option as "a formality or technicality that was worked into my contract late (in the negotiations)."

The Mets want him to return as his contract runs through the 2008 season.

"I've spoken to (Chief Operating Officer) Jeff Wilpon twice and (General Manager Omar Minaya) once, (and) I didn't get the impression they didn't want me back."

Glavine reached the 300-win plateau during the 2007 season but he also had a disastrous season-ending start, when he was pummeled for seven first-inning runs in an 8-1 loss to Florida, which left the Mets with 12 losses in their final 17 games and out of the post-season.