Port St. Lucie, FLA – Three days after the New York Mets informed second baseman Luis Castillo he was being released, left-hander Oliver Perez received the same fate Monday morning. Team officials informed Perez he was being let go despite being owed $12 million in the final year of his deal. The Mets had headed into the weekend already having eaten Castillo’s $6 million as the purge of bloated contracts from Omar Minaya’s era as general manager continued. “When they told me, I almost knew what they were going to tell me,” Perez said inside the clubhouse at the team’s spring-training complex after shaking hands with teammates. “It’s one of those times you don’t feel great, but I don’t want to quit.” Perez indicated he believed he got a fair shot from the Mets’ new regime. “I think they gave me an opportunity,” he said. “They were fair with me when I came here. ‘We’re going to give you an opportunity to be a starter.’ I didn’t do anything great. They moved me to the bullpen trying to be a lefty specialist. And the last game, that was a real horrible job.” Perez, 29, is in the final season of a three-year, $36 million deal. He went 3-9 with a 6.81 ERA in 31 appearances (21 starts) during the first two seasons of that contract. The amount owed to Perez ranks No. 1 on an unofficial list of largest contracts eaten in organization history, with Castillo also high on the list.

I don't care what you say, this is like winning the World Series. A weight has been lifted off of our shoulders. I feel like a Phoenix rising out of Arizona!  I mean we all knew it was coming, but nothing is official until it is official and now it's official. Oliver Perez is gone. Luis Castillo is gone. Ding Dong the Witch is dead!

We could lose 120 games this year, trade Reyes for 28 year old guys still stuck in AA, learn Johan needs an arm transplant and I'd still be happy knowing these two bums are out of the clubhouse once and for all. 

This is truly a precious and momentous occasion. However we all know the low expectations for the Mets this year so soak in the glory while it lasts because this ship may come crumbling to pieces before May.  

According to SNY and a tornado of tweets, the Mets have released 2B Luis Castillo and he is not at Digital Domain Park. 

Alderson will be addressing the Media in a little while. 

So now it appears that the 2B competition field is narrowed down somewhat, but truth be told the battle now exists between Daniel Murphy & Luis Hernandez — one has shown the ability to hit the ball, hit doubles, etc. However that person is Daniel Murphy and he struggles in the field as he continues to learn the Second Base position. The other player is a 26 year old scrub, who didn't do much for us last season, didn't do much at all in previous seasons on other ballclubs but essentially is a much better defensive middle-infielder who has hit the ball very well in the limited at bats he has had this spring. Turner and Emaus are still in the competition however neither player has shown much offensive production this month. 

With Spring Training 2011 underway and the potential roster starting to take form, I thought it would be nice to take a look back at the guys who were which the team last season, and won't be here this year. 

Two guys who we are use to seeing every year down in PSL, Pedro Feliciano and John Maine, are no longer here. Feliciano signed a two-year deal with the New York Yankees, and Maine agreed to a minor-league contract with the Colorado Rockies. Maine spent the last five seasons in a Mets uniform, while Feliciano has never worn a different jersey other than the Mets (not counting WBC) during his major league career that started back in 2002. I have fond memories of the both of them and wish them luck in the upcoming season. 

There are others who will not be joining the Mets in 2011; Hisanori Takahashi (Angels), Sean Green (Brewers), Raul Valdes (Cardinals), Rod Barajas (Dodgers), Henry Blanco (Diamondbacks), Mike Hessman (Orix Buffaloes, Japan), Fernando Tatis (free agent), Fernando Nieve (Pirates) Chris Carter (Rays), Jeff Francoeur (Royals) and Alex Cora (Nationals). I know I'm probably forgetting a few others, but these are all the players I can't of right now. 

For me, and probably most other Mets fan, we will miss Feliciano the most out of these guys. He played here for eight seasons and was one of the best non-closer relief pitchers in Mets history. 

I feel bad for Maine because of all the injuries he had to deal with and I always liked the guy. He was always very hard on himself (almost to a depressing point), and he was always looking for ways to improve. 

Hisanori Takahashi had a very good season with the Mets and they just didn't have the money or the ability to make a better deal than the Angels did. 

Raul Valdes was always an interesting story. A guy who was barely invited to Spring Training, has a wacky delivery to the plate, and his stuff doesn't look that great. However, he was able to get hitter out and he came in and had some really nice performances for the Mets in 2010. Now he is with the Cardinals and has a chance to be a starter after Adam Wainwright went down, but as Ken Rosenthal reports a scout says he has "no out pitch, no separator." I could have told you that, and that statement would have been true last year as well. But he still got people out somehow. 

I also feel bad for Mike Hessman. The guy is a major league hitter, there is no doubt. He just doesn't have a position to play. If he was given a chance in the American League I think he would make a good DH, but apparently no one was willing to take that risk. I feel like he just got frustrated being keep in the minors all these years and just went to Japan to escape it. 

Henry Blanco was another guy who did well in his role with the Mets. He was a good back-up catcher and did what the team asked him to do. I could have seen the Mets brining him back for the 2011 season, but Ronnie Paulino, was the better choice, even if he is missing the start of the season. 

I wasn't happy with the contract that the Mets gave to Fernando Tatis for the 2010 season. Yes, he did good things for the team in 2008 and 2009, but he didn't deserve a $1.7M contract. Injuries forced him to missed most of the 2010 season, but even when he did play it wasn't pretty (.185 AVG, .254 OBP). I feel the same way about him and Maine; thanks for everything, but it's time to move on. 

Jeff Francoeur, Alex Cora, Rod Barajas and Fernando Nieve were all guys who played for the Mets in 2010 but were either traded or released during the year.

The guy who was most hard to let go, for me, was Cora. Sure he didn't play everyday and was the best player out there, but he was a leader in the clubhouse (or so we're told) and gave everything he got when he play (often playing injured).

Francoeur was a fan favorite and has all the tools to be a very solid major league player. He just didn't fit into the Mets plans, and Angel Pagan was the clear better option in right field when Carlos Beltran came back. He was traded to the Rangers were he got a chance to play in the World Series, which was great for him. In the offseason he signed a one-year deal worth $2.5M with the Royals.

Barajas was another guy who did well but he didn't fit into the Mets plans in 2011. With Josh Thole ready to take over the starting role, Barajas was just blocking him from getting some much needed playing time. He was traded to the Dodgers and was re-signed to a one-year deal in the offseason.

Nieve had some good appearances in 2009 for the Mets but 2010 just wasn't the same. He was DFA'd but the Mets in July and finished the year in AAA. He signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in the offseason and is fighting for a spot on the roster in spring Training now. 

Chris Carter signing with the Tampa Bay Rays might haven't been a big deal for most Mets fans, but he's a guy I think this team will most a lot. For me, this guy IS a baseball player. Now obviously, all these guys are baseball players, but what I mean by that is he is the type of player who lives and breathes for baseball. Everything he does is baseball. He goes out there and plays every second like it might be his last. And when he is playing in a game, he is working on becoming a better player. The nickname "The Animal" couldn't be better for him. I have a theory about baseball players. There are some guys who are just born to play baseball. They have the talent and it just comes to them. Then there are other guys who aren't born to play, but work their ass of to become baseball players. It seems to me these guys are Daniel Murphy, David Eckstein, Cora and Carter. I feel like if Carter had been on this team and had a chance to play in Spring Training he would have found a way to make the team and would have had a positive impact on the 2011 season. 

So who are you going to miss the most? I'm not going to put Feliciano in the poll because I feel like that's the obvious choice. Also, I might be missing a few guys, so I'll put an "other" option and in the comment section you can write about that player.