Mets release '06 hero Duaner Sanchez

The reliever who popped out of nowhere to pitch lights out in 2006 never recovered from his taxi accident he suffered halfway through the season. Sanchez, 29, was notified of his release by the Mets this morning when he arrived to work at Tradition Field.

This saves the Mets over $1 million this season. Here is what GM Omar Minaya had to say:

We looked at it, really, his overall performance based upon last year to where he is now. We really didn’t see the improvement we felt was needed to be effective in the major leagues.