The Mets have released infielder Jose Valentin and lefty pitcher Ron Villone. Valentin played in 17 games this spring for the Mets in which he was 12 for 45 (.267 avg, .698 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 1 homer, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen bases. Valentin could accept an offer to be a player/coach in AAA for the Mets. Villone was awful all spring for the Mets working in 5 games (0 starts) in which he was 0-0 with a 10.80 ERA and a 2.20 WHIP. These two moves are positives for the Mets showing that the bullpen and bench are in good hands for the 2009 season.

The Mets have released 36-year old lefty Valerio De Los Santos. De Los Santos pitched in 2 games (2 starts) for the Rockies last season and he was 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA and a 2.13 WHIP. He has now pitched in 235 games (4 starts) in his major league career in which he is 9-13 with 1 save, a 4.57 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. The Mets shouldn’t miss him at all in 2009 as they appear to have a very deep pitching staff.

The Mets have released veteran lefty reliever Tom Martin. Martin pitched in 2 games for the Mets this spring and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He whiffed 2 batters in 1.1 innings while not allowing any hits. Still, the Mets’ release of Martin should be looked at as a positive for the bullpen.

The Mets have designated 33-year old righty pitcher Brandon Knight for assignment. Knight pitched in 4 games (2 starts) for the Mets last season and he was 1-0 with a 5.25 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP. He also pitched in 12 games (5 starts) in AAA-ball last year in which he was 5-1 with 1 save, a 2.28 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. Look for Knight to stay in the Mets’ organization if he can clear waivers.

The Mets have released 29-year old righty reliever Rock Cherry. They were going to return him to the Orioles seeing how he was a Rule 5 Draft Pick but the Orioles didn’t want him back. Cherry pitched in 4 games for the Mets in spring training this season and he was 0-0 with 1 save, a 2.25 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Releasing Cherry is a really good sign for the Mets’ bullpen as it appears very strong.