Mets Drop (a) Deuce

Just days after ensuring Luis Castillo's ass was not hit by the door on the way out, the Mets unload more multi-million dollar dead weight in the form of legendary madman Oliver Perez.

Three days after the New York Mets informed second baseman Luis Castillo he was being released, left-hander Oliver Perez experienced the same fate Monday. Team officials informed Perez he was being let go despite being owed $12 million in the final year of his contract. The Mets had begun the weekend already having absorbed Castillo's $6 million as the purge of bloated contracts from Omar Minaya's era as general manager continued. The amount owed to Perez ranks near the top of the unofficial list of largest contracts eaten in organization history, with Castillo also high on the list. Perez is No. 1 in terms of outright money owed; however, Bobby Bonilla worked out a deal that eclipses $12 million.

When the Mets cut bait with Bonilla after the 1999 season, they were on the hook for $5.9 million. Instead, the Mets agreed to pay Bonilla $29.8 million between 2011 and 2035. Those annual $1,193,248.20 payments begin July 1.

The Mets also have eaten:

• $9 million of $10 million owed to outfielder Roger Cedeno when they sent him to the St. Louis Cardinals at the end of spring training in 2004.

• $4.5 million when they sent infielder Kazuo Matsui to the Colorado Rockies in 2006.

• $3.75 million when they traded second baseman Roberto Alomar to the Chicago White Sox in 2003.

The always brilliant Perez responded with "When they told me, I almost knew what they were going to tell me". Move over Criswell - there's a new psychic in town.

Even my six-week old could tell you a 3-9 record and a F'ING 6.81 ERA gets your ass fired.

Maybe the only good thing to come out of this Madoff fiasco is that the Mets will no longer be able to afford such deuce-headed contracts.