MLB

Bobby V won’t rule out Mets return

WASHINGTON — Labeling this lost Mets season a “tragedy,” Bobby Valentine isn’t ruling out managing them again if the Wilpons ever give him the chance.

Still one of the most divisive figures in franchise history, Valentine addressed the Mets’ misery yesterday while announcing his return from Japan to be an ESPN baseball analyst.

Even from 15,500 miles away in the Land of the Rising Sun, the Mets’ 67-91 record after last night’s mistake-filled, 4-3 loss here to the last-place Nationals hasn’t looked pretty.

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“I followed it from afar, and I have some friends there that I’ve shared tears with because I think it’s been a tragedy,” Valentine said in a conference call with reporters.

“It’s been disappointment after disappointment, and I don’t think anybody could have fixed it as the season was going on.

“As soon as it seemed like things were getting better, they seemed to get worse. That’s what it looked like from afar. I wasn’t a day-by-day follower, but I was kind of a fan that was really disappointed and upset by the outcome.”

Seemingly loved by as many Mets fans as he was loathed by, Valentine led the Mets to the 2000 World Series and sported a .534 winning percentage in seven eventful seasons before his firing in 2002. He sidestepped a direct question yesterday on whether he would be open to returning to the Mets if Jerry Manuel is fired.

Valentine did not leave the Mets on good terms before going to manage in Japan, but reportedly he has mended fences with the Wilpons.

Would Valentine listen if they decided to call?

“As far as the Mets are concerned, I have friends that are associated with the team,” he said. “There are a lot of teams that I have followed with interest because of my personal associations with teams, but not because of any desire to get back with any particular team.”

Valentine said he has a provision in his new broadcast contract that allows him to bolt without penalty for a managerial job, and he has been mentioned as a potential candidate for jobs in Washington and Houston.

Without mentioning him by name, Valentine appeared to reference his frosty relationship with then-GM Steve Phillips while with the Mets as something he would want to avoid repeating if he lands another managerial job in the majors.

Interestingly, Valentine will be working with Phillips in his new broadcast position. Phillips was not available for comment yesterday.

“What would draw me to any job are the people I would be working with day-in and day-out,” Valentine said. “They would have to be on the same page, pulling in the same direction, wanting to do the same things that I want to do, which is enjoy the game of baseball, watch players develop and watch fans enjoy watching their players succeed on the field.”

Mets reliever Pedro Feliciano, who pitched briefly under Valentine at the end of the 2002 season, said he thinks his former manager could succeed in the majors despite seven years away from the U.S.

“I liked playing for him, and he was a good manager,” Feliciano said. “His style wouldn’t be a problem. He knows how to win.”

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In an overall display that Manuel labeled “embarrassing,” Luis Castillo’s eighth-inning throwing error allowed the Nationals to score the winning run and take the series.

Castillo’s miscue, one of two Mets errors on the night, also kept Mike Pelfrey from ending his season with a win despite seven innings of three-run ball.

Pelfrey, who is leaving the team to be with his ailing grandfather in Ohio, finished 10-12 with a 5.03 ERA.

bhubbuch@nypost.com