Can the Mets Teach the Cubs a Lesson?

Yes, this is a baseball blog, too. I've been a little Illini-heavy lately, but since they're out of the NCAA tournament, you'll be hearing a lot more about the Cubs. But first, a few words about the Mets. Hmmm...that sounds confusing, but I promise that it'll all shake out by the end of this post.

Yesterday, the Mets released lefthander Oliver Perez, eating the remainder of his $12 million contract. This came just days after they released second baseman Luis Castillo, eating the remainder of his $6 million contract. Two thoughts:

1. Remember last year at the trading deadline, when there was a rumor that the Cubs and Mets were discussing a deal that would have sent Carlos Zambrano to New York for Perez and Castillo? I'm not sure how much truth there was to that story, but considering how well Zambrano finished last season and that Perez and Castillo appear to be finished, we Cubs fans can thank our lucky stars that the trade never actually went through. Kudos to you, Jim Hendry!

2. Now let's see if Hendry can follow the Mets' lead and earn some extra kudos from me by eating some of the Cubs' bloated contracts (I'm mostly thinking of this one).