MLB

Mets release Perez, still owe lefty bust $12 million

PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets’ long, national nightmare is over.

Oliver Perez is history with the Mets after receiving word Monday morning from general manager Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins he would be released.

The putrid lefty appeared in the team’s clubhouse at 8:15 a.m. and began shaking hands with players, ending a tumultuous run with the organization that gave him one of the worst contracts in baseball history.

“They told me they were going to let me go, and I think that is best for the team and best for me,” said Perez, who will collect $12 million this season.

KERNAN: METS MANAGER SENDS MESSAGE BY CUTTING PEREZ

The final straw came Saturday, when Perez allowed two homers in a relief appearance against the Nationals. Though the Mets had hoped Perez could reinvent himself as a lefty relief specialist, it was clear after Saturday’s implosion — which included Mets fans cheering in delight — that Perez’s release was imminent.

“The velocity was not there, the command was not there,” Alderson said. “It wasn’t going to work in a starting role and it didn’t appear as if it were going to work in a relief role anytime soon. In that sense [Saturday’s performance] was a confirmation of what the evaluation had been up to that point.”

Perez’s release came three days after the team swallowed the $6 million remaining on Luis Castillo’s contract. The second baseman has since agreed to a minor-league deal with the Phillies.

Perez said he received a fair opportunity with the Mets this spring.

“They gave me an opportunity — they were fair with me,” Perez said. “When I came here they were going to give me the opportunity to be a starter, and 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 received a three-year contract worth $36 million before the 2009 season. For that money, the Mets received three wins from Perez, and countless headaches, including his refusal to accept a minor-league assignment last year.

Along the way, the name “Oliver Perez” became synonymous with failure in the same manner “Madoff” is equated to fraud.

“The people everywhere are free to say all that stuff,” Perez said. “I know I did everything I can to get better, and the result doesn’t work right. [The fans] pay to see us play. I think I can do better than that, and that’s why I’m not going to quit. I want to get better, for my family and me.”

mpuma@nypost.com