Finally the wait is over. Roger Clemens has officially announced his return to MLB Baseball. He’s coming back to Houston—as expected by many insiders. A few days ago Houston denounced a rumor that he was coming back—we can see that was a fib. The Astros are still in the hunt for the playoffs and the contract they gave Roger Clemens shows just how desperate they are for pitching.

Roger Clemens will have the opportunity to make up to $22,000,000 for the rest of 2006. That’s right, $22,000,000 for playing no spring training and part of the regular season. The festivities start at single A ball, where Roger Clemens will receive $322,000 to pitch in the minors. It’s estimated that he will make one start per level and be up to triple-A by mid-June. That would put him on a course to pitch for the Astros in 3-4 weeks from now.

Even though Roger Clemens signed the $22,000,022 contract, it will be prorated based on the time he spends in an Astros Uniform. He still figures to collect at least $12 million of that. Why the weird amount for the contract? Roger Clemens is superstitious, like most ball players, so he wanted the contract to resemble his uniform number—22. While the Clemens signing is good news for the Astros and struggling Andy Pettitte, it is definitely bad news for the other teams in the Central division.

The Astros are 6.5 games back in the NL Central Division and 3.5 back in the NL Wild Card race. They are playing a series with the Cardinals right now and could cut into that lead. Clemens’ return could be at the right moment to send the Astros upward in the standings. He also brings a boost in attitude and momentum. We will have to wait and see how this all plays out, but the signing could be money well spent for the Astros front office.