Associated Press
Published on Friday, October 6, 2023 at 5:44am EDT
Last updated on Friday, October 6, 2023 5:51am EDT
NEW YORK (AP) – Billy Eppler resigned as general manager of the New York Mets on Thursday, and a person familiar with the investigation said he is being investigated by Major League Baseball.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation.
The New York Post first reported on Thursday that Eppler was under investigation by MLB for allegedly improperly using injured reserve lists, although the official did not disclose the details of the investigation.
His surprising resignation came three days after David Stearns was named over Eppler as the Mets’ first president of baseball operations. Eppler has been in charge of New York’s baseball operations as GM for the past two seasons.
The Mets said they could not comment because the investigation is ongoing.
Eppler’s decision to step down continues an overhaul for a team with playoff hopes and World Series aspirations after finishing fourth in the National League East. Mets owner Steve Cohen fired manager Buck Showalter on Sunday, saying Stearns deserved to be his manager.
“I wanted David to have a clean slate, but that meant I resigned,” Eppler said in a statement released by the team.
Cohen has long talked about hiring a president of baseball operations above Eppler, saying baseball operations leadership has become too big a job for one person. Eppler attended Monday’s press conference at Citi Field to introduce Stearns, and Stearns discussed working with Eppler.
“I think Billy and I have had a very good relationship over the years as competitors. We talk to each other, whether it’s about trades or industry events,” said the former Milwaukee Brewers manager. said Stearns, who also held front office positions in Houston and Cleveland. The game, the experience he has in New York, and I’m looking forward to working with him. ”
However, just a few days later, Eppler was ejected.
“He has determined that it is in everyone’s best interest to completely hand over leadership of baseball operations to David Stearns,” Cohen said in a statement.
Eppler, 48, worked in scouting and player development for the Colorado Rockies from 2000 to 2004 before joining the New York Yankees. He was director of pro scouting from 2006 to 2011 and assistant GM under Brian Cashman from 2012 to 2014.
Eppler served as GM of the Los Angeles Angels from 2015 to 2020, but was fired after five losing seasons. The Mets signed him to a four-year contract in November 2021, making him the fifth head of baseball operations in the past 13 months.
His first move was to sign ace Max Scherzer and outfielder Starling Marte, and the Mets went 101-61 in 2022, the second-most wins in franchise history. However, after leading the National League East for all but six days, they were caught up by Atlanta in the final stages and lost to the San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card Series.
New York added pitchers Justin Verlander, Kodai Chiga and Jose Quintana at the start of the 2023 season, increasing their annual salary to a major league record $355 million, but by mid-summer they had weakened and traded the veterans. It ended with 75 wins and 87 losses.
“I view the fact that we have people from multiple administrations here as a feature rather than a bug. It’s a good thing for us,” Stearns said Monday. We have undergone various trainings. As long as we respect each other and understand that different parts of the organization are going to look at the issues we face a little differently, that’s a really good thing. So I’m excited about it. And I think that makes us better. ”
